Estimation of Soil Properties and Leaf Nutrients Status of Oil Palm Plantations in an Intensively Cultivated Region of India

Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) is cultivated in several countries of the world. The information pertaining to soil properties and status of leaf nutrients in oil palm plantations (OPP) is essential for proper nutrient management to obtain higher yield of the crop. The study, therefore, was undertaken by conducting a survey of OPP in west Godavari district, India and collecting 306 soil samples and 153 leaf samples. Collected samples (soil and leaf) were analysed for different parameters after their processing. The studied soil parameters (soil pH, electrical conductivity, organic carbon, available phosphorous, available potassium, exchangeable calcium, exchangeable magnesium, available sulphur and available boron) in surface (0 to 20 cm) and sub-surface (20 to 40 cm) soil varied widely. The soil parameters had CV values from 7.13% to 80.7%. The concentrations of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) in leaf samples were 0.62–3.97%, 0.04–0.26%, and 0.34–1.38% respectively. Whereas, the concentrations of calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sulphur (S) and boron (B) were 0.66–2.66%, 0.10–1.03%, 0.02–0.35% and 9.55– 119 mg kg^–1 respectively. The norms and indices of Diagnosis and Recommendation Integrated System (DRIS) were obtained using various nutrient expressions. The leaf nutrient requirement order was B > Mg > K > N > P. The optimum concentrations of leaf nutrients were 1.57–2.63% for N, 0.08–0.16% for P, 0.48–0.88% for K, 0.25–0.71% for Mg and 22.6– 60.2 mg kg^–1 for B. Information about soil nutrient status and nutrient requirement order and optimum leaf nutrient ranges can be used for effective management of nutrients in the OPP of the study region.