Plantation Crops

MANURING IN COCONUT

• Starting from first year onwards we have to manure regularly in coconut for
  

  * Good vegetative growth
  * Early flowering and
  * High yields
• In coconut it takes 32 months from induction of female primordial to flowering. If full dose of fertilizers is applied from 3 rd year onwards there will not be button shedding in the initial years of bearing.
• Period required for observing response: A minimum period of 3 years is required to observe the response to fertilizer (i.e., flower primordial induction takes place 32 months prior to the emergence of spadix.)

Recommendation of Manures and fertilizers to coconut
• Organic manure: 50 kg per palm per year.
• Addition of neem cake @ 1 to 5 kg per palm is also beneficial / recommended.
• RDF for coconut (4th year onwards) : 500 : 330 : 1200 g NPK per palm per year.

Fertilizers: As per CPCRI, Kasaragod *

Year	May- June			September – October
	N	P2O5	K2O	N	P2O5	K2O
First	--	--	--	50	40	120
Second	50	40	125	110	80	275
Third	110	80	250	220	160	550
Fourth year onwards	170	120	400	330	200	800

• I year = I application of fertilizer is done three months after planting ( Nearly 1/10 of the recommended dose)
• II year = 1/3 rd of the recommended dose of an adult palm,
• III year = 2/3 rd of the recommended dose of an adult palm.
• IV th Year and above = Full dose ( 500 :330:1200 NPK g/palm/year: It works out to nearly 1kg urea, 1.5 kg Mussorie Phos/Rock Phosphate and 2 kg of muriate of potash)