Best Management Practice for Crop Nutrition of Mature Oil Palm

This project was implemented between 2011 and 2015 in one plantation in Kalimantan, Indonesia. The objective is to implement, test and refine the Best Management Practice (BMP) fertilization concept for yield intensification in order to increase productivity, profitability and sustainability of palm oil production in mature oil palm plantations. The ultimate goal will be to enable the use of BMPs for nutrient management to become standard within the industry.

The project deploys a two-pronged approach, including commercial block-scale implementation of fertilizer management strategies, complemented by block-embedded omission plots. Commercial block-scale testing of application practices will contribute to more efficient fertilizer application management by the plantation and will contribute information for general fine tuning of nutrient best management practices. Omission plots generate site-specific information about fertilizer use efficiency for the plantation and will be developed into a general tool for plantation nutrient management. We are using 12 commercial blocks. Blocks are being distributed in sets of four within two estates of the plantation. Each set of four blocks contains two BMP blocks where fertilizers are applied in four treatments – one with a high fertilizer rate (BMP 1), the other with a low fertilizer rate (BMP 2); and two reference blocks where all IPNI SEAP BMPs are deployed but fertilizer application follows current standard practice – one with high fertilizer rate (BMP 3), the other with low fertilizer rate (BMP 4). Fertilizers are applied as blended mixes including N-P-K-Mg-B. Omission plots are embedded in the 12 blocks. Each omission plot contains subplots for zero and full application. The plot size is a 4 x 4 palms measurement plot, within a 6 x 6 palm plot, which is bounded by a trench.

BMP 1 and 2 are performing well. In 2014, BMP 1 yielded 28.2 t of fresh fruit bunches (FFB), followed by 27.3 in BMP 4, 26.6 in BMP 2 and 26.1 in BMP 3. Bunch analyses are ongoing. The FFB yield increases due to fertilization in the last year were: BMP 1: 18%; BMP 2: 22%; BMP 3: 39%; and BMP 4: 17%. The project has been extended until December 2015.

Through this process, estates can identify better ways to implement BMPs for yield intensification, and have confidence that decisions on larger investments in BMPs are based on practical, commercial-scale evidence.