Abstract
The comparative growth study on sago palm, which consisted of determining the population density, the palm height, the diameter at the ground level and the number of leaves, in the quadrates of the cultivation field of Alubijid, Mindanao, Philippines, Dalat, Sarawak, Malaysia and Tobimeita, Sulawesi, Indonesia was performed from 1992 to 1999. The mean population density of sago palm, having no stem development, but pseudostem with more than 5 cm in diameter, in Alubijid (alluvial soils; Fluvisols) was 3025-3800 palms per ha in 1998 and 3825-4600 palms per ha in 1999. These figures showed higher population density than those recorded in Dalat of Sarawak (tropical peat soils; Histsols) and Tobimeita of Sulawesi (alluvial soils; Fluvisols) where the farmers produced the starch from the stem of sago palm. The sago palms have no clear stem development in the study quadrates of Alubijid, because the farmers do manage few control of the sucker numbers to grow the leader palm in the cluster after a fire in 1993. The mean palm diameter at the ground level in Ajubijid ranged from 24.8 to 31.7 cm in 1998 and 25.7 to 28.1 cm in 1999, which indicated smaller figures than those in Dalat and Tobimeita. The mean number of living leaves varied from 5.1 to 6.3 per palm in 1998 and 5.5 to 5.7 per palm in 1999, smaller number of leaves than those in Dalat and Tobimeita, concluding that the farmers in Alubijid manage to cut and remain at least upper three or four living leaves to produce the thatch every three months.
https://ror.org/00qg0kr10 
