Variation in oil and kernel extraction rates of oil palms in North Sumatra due to nutritional and climatic factors
1998
Prabowo, N.E. | Foster, H.L.
Oil palm bunches in six oil palm fertilizer trials carried out in North Sumatra were sampled over 1996-1997 and average bunch component values over this period were determined. There was a significant reduction in the oil/bunch ratio due to K fertilizer in the two trials which showed the largest FFB yield responses to this fertilizer, whilst on the other hand Mg fertilizer increased the oil/bunch ratios. The depression in oil extraction due to K fertilizer was largely due to a reduction in the mesocarp/fruit ratio whilst the positive effect of Mg fertilizer was due both to an increase in the mesocarp/fruit ratio and an improvement in the oil content of the mesocarp. P fertilizer significantly increased the mesocarp/fruit ratio in 3 trials, but in all cases this was counter balanced by a reduction in the fruit/bunch ratios, so there was no overall effect on oil extraction. N fertilizer had no effect on oil extraction or other bunch components, in 3 out of the 6 trial. K fertilizer significantly increased the kernel/bunch ratio, whilst Mg fertilizer had the opposite effect. The effect of the K fertilizer was due to significant increases in both the nut/fruit ratio only. In the trials where K fertilizer significantly depressed the oil extraction rate, there was actually no change in the oil + kernel/bunch ratio comparing optimum and no fertilizer treatments, due to the counteracting effect of Mg fertilizer and also the increase in kernel extraction was highly positively correlated with annual rainfall and negatively correlated with solar radiation due mainly to variation in the fruit/bunch ratio and the mesocarp/fruit ratio
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