TT No. 478: Effective Placement of Fertilisers for mature Oil Palm Planted on Alluvial Soil

Fertiliser is an important input in oil palm plantations, and has to be managed efficiency depends on the source type of fertiliser, method of placement, rate, frequency and timing of application. Previous work shows that application of fertiliser by general broadcast on clear-weeded circles, over the frond stack and outside the edge of the palm circles resulted in maximum yield response. Soon and Hoong (2002) reported that the application was inferior to broadcast application. However, due to a shortage of labour in the palm oil industry, subsoil palcement or the burying of fertiliser is preferred by the planters because it provides an option of reducing the number of application rounds. 

Main Research: Ahmad Afandi Murdi