Application of remote sensing in the investigation of maturity age of oil palm trees in Pasir puteh, Kelantan / Siti Noor Safiyyah Sauti

The determination of oil palm age is essential for the plantation industry as it
influences the growth and yield production of the plantation. The aim of this study is
to identify the maturity age of oil palm trees using remote sensing technique. Satellite
image, SPOT 7 with resolution of 6 meter is used in the determination of oil palm age.
Ground data is collected to know the height, age and production of the oil PALM
plantation. Satellite image data is obtained from Malaysian Remote sensing Agency
(MRSA) while the ground data is gotten from Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB).
The study is conducted to propose a new method of managing and identifying the age
of plantation with the use of remote sensing. Processing is carried out via Erdas
Imagine and ArcGIS software. The digital number for three different ages of oil palm
trees, 1, 2 and 5 are observed to detect the digital number of the different ages. The
spectral reflectance of the trees are observed for each of the age. Vegetation indices of
NDVI and SAVI are carried out to observe the health of the plantation. Regression
model between age and palm oil growth is modelled. The regression shows the
relationship of the age and growth. The final result is the map showing the healthy
level of oil palm trees using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and
Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI).