Effect of Nitrogen Phosphorus and Potassium Fertilization on Sago Growth

Abstract

Fertilization is an important act of cultivation in an effort to provide plant nutrients to increase sago crop productivity. This research aimed to study the effect of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers towards the growth of sago palm. The study included three separate experiments i.e. experimental fertilization of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The experiment was conducted by using a randomized block design (RBD) consisting of four levels of treatments and each treatment was repeated 3 times. The four levels of treatment were respectively nitrogen fertilization experiment consisting of 0, 405, 810, and 1215 g clump-1. Phosphorus fertilization experiment consisting of 0, 216, 432, and 648 g clump-1. The experiment of potassium fertilization consisted of 0, 480, 960 and 1440 g clump-1. The variables of morphological characters observed were number of leaves, increase of the new leaf and trunk height of the parent palm plants. The results of nitrogen and potassium fertilization showed that these fertilizations, Nitrogen and potassium, had not increased the number of leaf of parent palm plants, however, phosphorus fertilization showed the increase of leaf number after 10-month treatment (MAT). Nitrogen fertilization provided an impact on the number of leaves on the sago suckers which started from 7-month treatments, phosphorus fertilization after 10-month treatment, while potassium fertilization did not give any influence. Fertilization of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium did not give any effect to increase the number of new leaf at the parent palm plants except for the sago suckers. Phosphorus and potassium fertilization treatment improved the trunk height of the parent palm plants