Chemical and biological characteristics of selected wet soil in oil palm plantation attack with Ganoderma sp.

Abstract

The expansion of oil palm plantation requires the use of suboptimal land such as peat soil. Ganoderma as soil born pathogen is the most important pathogen in palm oil cultivation. The objective of the study was to reveal the characteristics of chemical and biological characteristics of wet soil on land with mild and severe Ganoderma attack. The study was conducted in three oil palm estates with wet soil at two levels attack of Ganoderma sp. Palm oil is the first-generation plant and the previous habitat was a forest. The soil samples were taken from three principal plants and each staple, taken from four sample points, namely harvesting path, inter-row, around the stem, and the ground near the base of the stem. The soil samples were analyzed for the nutrient status of N, P, K, Mg, Cu and C by standard methods and soil biology characteristics such as total bacteria, total fungi, cellulolytic fungi, and Azotobacter. The results showed that there was a correlation between soil nutrient status of K and Mg with Ganoderma sp. attack on all of the plantation tested. While for Cu and C, there was a correlation between soil nutrient status and Ganoderma attack in 3 plantations only. The least correlation is between N and Ganoderma sp. While the correlation between total bacteria with Ganoderma sp. was most common although very low.