With the current labour shortage, to reduce the rounds of fertilizer application, subsoil placement (burying) has attracted much interest, especially in remote areas and on undulating terrain. This is mainly due to the belief that burying the fertilizer is as effective as broadcasting it with reduced run-off losses. Foster and Goh (1975) recommended that fertilizers be broadcasted to maximize their contact with the feeding roots. In Sabah, Soon and Hoong (2002) found that burying fertilizer offered no advantage over broadcasting even for immature to young palms. In fact, Broeshart (1959) found that burying fertilizer at 10 cm depth reduced uptake considerably. In view of the different responses obtained and continued interest of the industry in subsoil placement of fertilizers, a study was conducted by MPOB to compare various compound and straight fertilizers in two methods of applications on immature oil palm on an inland soil.

Main Research: Dr Zin Zawawi Zakaria