Mycorrhizae utilization in palm oil nurseries to reduce inorganic fertilizer dose

Abstract

Fertilization in palm oil nurseries is an invaluable tending activity to obtain healthy and robust seedlings. This research aims is to identify the dose percentage level of the inorganic fertilizer which can be reduced by applying mycorrhizae in oil palm nurseries. The research design used a non-factorial completely randomized design, as the treatment factor was the dose of fertilizer in oil palm nurseries. There are 5 levels of treatment, namely P0 (100% of the standard dose + 50 g mycorrhizae), P1 (75% of the standard dose + 50 g mycorrhizae), P2 (50% of the standard dose + 50 g mycorrhizae), P3 (25% of the standard dose + 50 g mycorrhizae), and P4 (0 inorganic fertilizer + 50 g Mycorrhizae). Each treatment was arranged in four replications. The data were analyzed using ANOVA, if F-count > F-table then it is continued with Duncan Multiple Range Test. The observation variables included plant height, number of leaves and stem diameter, root length, canopy dry weight, roots dry weight, and P uptake. The results showed that there were significant differences in plant height, number of leaves, stem diameter, roots dry weight, canopy dry weight and P uptake in leaves as well as, while the observations of root length showed no significant difference. The application of 50 grams of mycorrhizae with a 50-75% standard dose of fertilization resulted in optimal seedling growth. Mycorrhizae utilization can reduce the application of inorganic fertilizers up to 25-50%.