Tools for sustainable oil palm production. In situ fertilizer studies for plantations in Ecuador.
There is a large and unmet demand of local research in oil palm nutrition. With support of the national oil palm guild we are carrying out a fertilizer trial in Ecuador to find local reference values, and to find the best tools to diagnose and find the best fertilizer recommendations.
IPNI-2010-ECU-14
20 Mar 2012
Project Description
The traditional procedure to generate fertilizer recommendations in oil palm is based in leaf nutrient interpretation and extrapolation of research results to the target site. IPNI has proposed that in a complementary manner, palm plantations should invest on in situ fertilizer trials to check the response of the crop to local management, soil and environment. Ideally the results of such trials would indicate the potential and optimal economic yield for each location.