Abstract
The rapidly expanding oil palm industry is limited by various constraints, including soil fertility degradation and water deficit. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of the dissolution of NPK 10-10-30+1S+3Mg+4.4Ca fertiliser on the growth and production of oil palm trees. To this end, different doses of NPK 10-10-30+1S+3Mg+4.4Ca fertiliser were applied to oil palm trees in the production phase, in two forms: (i) the fertiliser in aqueous solution and (ii) the fertiliser in standard granular form, using a One Tree Plot Design. Agro-morphological and production parameters, as well as the fertiliser dissolution rate in water, were collected and analysed using SAS software. The results showed that the fertiliser dissolved at a rate of 76%. Furthermore, parameters such as leaf emission and the number of palm bunches were not influenced by the different treatments. By contrast, palm trunk height growth and palm bunch production were influenced by the treatments. Dissolving the NPK 10-10-30+1S+3Mg+4.4Ca fertiliser in water before application appeared to be more agronomically effective, especially with doses of 2.5 kg/palm and 3 kg/palm, dissolved in 5 and 6 litres of water, respectively. These aqueous solutions showed the highest values compared with treatments without dissolution, even though they used the same doses of the same fertiliser. This method of dissolving fertiliser before application could therefore allow for its efficient and environmentally friendly use in the oil palm sector.