Potential of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB) as Fertilizer in Oil Palm (Elaeis guineensis L Jacq.) Nurseries

Oil palm is one of the major oil crops in the world. Oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) could serve as an alternative and cheaper organic fertilizer in oil palm farms. This study investigated the value of composts of different forms of EFB for raising oil palm in the nursery. The experiment, which covered the pre-nursery (< 3 months) and nursery stages (3-13 months) used different EFB: cow dung ratios (100:0, 90:10, 80:20, 70:30 and 60:40) as compost as well as cow dung only and mineral fertilizer (NPKMg 12-12-17-2). The composts were added to the soil at the rate of 4.8 g N /plant. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block with three replicates. Data were collected on dry weight, nutrient concentrations, and soil pH changes. Oil palm seedlings under the application of unsoaked oil palm EFB and cow dung (60:40) were significantly (p< 0.05) higher in dry weight (18.0 g / plant) than those from the mineral fertilizer and control treatments (15.7 and 10.5 g / plant respectively ) in the nursery stage. Composts of unsoaked EFB and cow dung (ratio 60:40) was more suitable for raising oil palm seedlings in the nursery than other treatments used.