Acknowledgements

Preface

Introduction: context and purpose of this guide

1. Understanding oil palm mineral nutrition and diagnosing nutritional needs.

Why fertilize oil palm plantations?

Can deficiency symptoms be trusted to recommend fertilizer applications?.

     Nitrogen (N) deficiency

     Potassium (K) deficiency.

     Magnesium (Mg) deficiency

     Boron (B) deficiency

     Copper (Cu) deficiency

     Manganese (Mn) deficiency

     Other nutrients.

     Conclusion

Analysing leaf samples to establish a diagnosis.

Ascertaining variability in leaf nutrient contents.

       Nitrogen (N)

     Phosphorus (P

     Potassium (K)

     Calcium (Ca)

     Magnesium (Mg)

     Chlorine (Cl).

     Sulphur (S)

     Trace elements: boron, copper, iron, manganese

     Interpreting leaf contents considering the specific characteristics of a plantation

2. Plantation sampling for ongoing mineral nutrition monitoring..

Dividing the plantation into several leaf sampling units

Planning the leaf sampling schedule

Choosing the palms of the reference sample inside the LSU

     Restricting reference sampling to a uniform section of the LSU

     When and how to select the palms used for leaf sampling

Taking special leaf samples to check specific zones in the LSU

3. Adapting the decision-support tool to local conditions: taking the specificities of each site into account

Fertilization trial principles

     Choice of treatments and experimental designs.

     Aggregating data and determining local optimum contents

     Experimental precision

Drawing up the fertilizer schedule from the experimental results

     Determining the optimum content range per nutrient.

     Drawing up a fertilizer schedule from the optimum content range

     Applying the conclusions of the experimental approach

A better understanding of trial results

4. Extrapolating fertilizer schedules resulting from trials.

Analysing the plantation reaction on an LSU scale

What information can be drawn from soil analyses?

Taking into account soil calcium contents when using KCl

Detecting distortions due to soil properties

     Associating a reference soil analysis with each leaf sample

     Constructing a geographic information system (GIS)

     Setting up reactivity tests

5. Adopting sustainable fertilization practices: prospects and recommendations.

Preserving soil health

     Caring for the chemical fertility of soils

     Assessing soil reserves

Improving fertilization efficiency

     Reducing mineral nutrient losses through different cultural practices

     Improving the physico-chemical properties of soils

Developing a precise and environment-friendly fertilization tool

     Precision of recommendations and fertilizer schedules

     Spatial precision of leaf sampling and fertilizer application

Conclusion: generic tools for optimized fertilization in each plantation

Bibliography.