Plantation Crops

Manuring and Fertilizers

Manuring
FYM = 50 kg per palm per year. (Or 50 to 100 kg). or 100 kg green manure.
Neem cake : Addition of neem cake @ 5 kg per palm is also beneficial.

Fertilizers
Table:

Season?	May – June(Pre monsoon)			Sept- October(Post monsoon)
Fertilizer?	N	P2O5	MgSO4	N	P2O5	K2O	MgSO4
Age?
Before Planting	---	125	---	---	---	---	---
I Year	200	100	200	200	200	100	125g
II Year	400	200	400	400	400	400	250g
III yr. And above	600	300	600	600	600	600	500g

Table: Fertilizer recommendation for oil palm (g. per palm)
Full dose for adult palm includes: 1200g N, 600 g P2O5 and 1200 g K2O per year.
• Deficiencies of micronutrients in Oil palm
• Mg and Boron deficiency has been observed in Oil palm
• Magnesium (Mg) deficiency : Olive green coloured areas appear on the pinna of older leaves and the yellow colour spreads down towards the frond midrib until the whole pinna become a deep orange in colour
• Mg deficiency occurs due to heavy application of K fertilizer i.e., when ratio of K: Mg exceeds five (5).
• Boron deficiency : Hook leaves, ( or it is also termed as Blind leaf or Bristle leaf) Apply 75 to 100 g of Borax ( Sodum Borate) per palm. We can also use solubor for the foliar spray @ 0.1 per cent. .
• Note:

  Supply Mg (@500g per palm per year) if deficiency symptoms are noticed.
  Borax @ 100 g per palm per year if boron deficiency is observed.
• Under irrigated conditions, it is preferable to apply nitrogenous and potassium fertilizers in as many splits as possible to increase the fertilizer use efficiency.
 
 
Method of fertilizer application in oil palm



Apply fertilizer at the base of the palm leaving 1 to 2 ft basal area undisturbed.
• Depth of application : 1 to 2 inches and mix with soil.
• Basin management /Size of palm basin in oil palm
• Widen the basin as and when tree grows.

  I year of planting : 1 m radius
  II year of planting : 2 m radius
  III year and above : 3 m radius.
• Basin space must be meant only for the oil palm and should be free from weeds and any inter/mix crops.
• Note :

  Spread fertilizer in the ring underneath the largest leaves and after spreading cover with a thin layer of soil.
• If plants are mulched, remove the mulching material and spread fertilizer and spread a fresh mulch of dry herbage to a thickness of 15 to 20 cm.