Skip to content
Technical KisanрдЦреЗрддреА, рддрдХрдиреАрдХ рдХреЗ рд╕рд╛рде
ENрд╣рд┐рдВ
Oil PalmAll seasonsTenera (D├ЧP) hybrid seedlingUpdated 8 October 2026

Tenera (Dura ├Ч Pisifera) hybrid

The planting material for virtually all commercial oil palm тАФ a Dura ├Ч Pisifera cross giving the thin-shelled, high-oil "tenera" fruit. Farmers buy a raised seedling of a tenera cross rather than choosing among named cultivars.

SeasonAll seasons
Maturity periodFirst harvest ~year 4; productive 25тАУ30 years
Expected yield20тАУ30 t FFB/ha/year at full bearing
Suitable soilAll soils

Quick facts

Crop
Oil Palm
Type
Tenera (D├ЧP) hybrid seedling
Season
All seasons
Maturity period
First harvest ~year 4; productive 25тАУ30 years
Expected yield
20тАУ30 t FFB/ha/year at full bearing
Suitable soil
All soils

About this variety

The tenera is the only planting material used for commercial oil palm. It is the first-generation cross between a thick-shelled Dura mother and a shell-less Pisifera father, and it inherits a thin shell and a thick oil-bearing mesocarp тАФ giving far more oil per bunch than either parent. Because the high yield depends on this specific cross, a farmer does not save or select seed but buys a raised nursery seedling of a tenera cross from an authorised source. India produces some tenera seed through ICAR-IIOPR and imports the rest from established international breeders; all genuine oil-palm planting under NMEO-OP is tenera.

Key characteristics

    Plant typeTenera (D├ЧP) hybrid seedling
    MaturityFirst harvest ~year 4; productive 25тАУ30 years
    Yield potential20тАУ30 t FFB/ha/year at full bearing
    Disease resistanceNo special resistance; manage bud rot, Ganoderma and beetle/weevil pests
    SoilAll soils
    SeasonAll seasons

Sowing & cultivation

  • Spacing9 m triangular, ~143 palms/ha

Yield & maturity

Maturity period

First harvest ~year 4; productive 25тАУ30 years

Expected yield

20тАУ30 t FFB/ha/year at full bearing

Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.

Pest & disease considerations

Advantages & considerations

Why farmers may choose it

  • Thin shell and thick mesocarp тАФ the highest oil yield per bunch, the basis of the whole crop.
  • Available as raised seedlings through ICAR-IIOPR, state programmes and company nurseries under NMEO-OP.

Things to consider

  • Must be bought as a genuine tenera cross from an authorised source тАФ Dura or Pisifera seedlings yield far less oil and the error only shows after four years.

Suitable regions

States this variety is recommended for тАФ check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.

  • Andhra Pradesh
  • Telangana
  • Karnataka
  • Tamil Nadu
  • Odisha
  • Chhattisgarh
  • Gujarat
  • Mizoram