Effects of Different Growing Media under Soilless Culture on the Growth and Nutrient Uptake of Oil Palm Seedlings in the Pre-Nursery Stage
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Abstract
Soilless culture is an alternative approach to oil palm cultivation which has the potential to offer significant advantages over traditional soil-based cultivation. This study aimed to investigate the effects of different growing media under soilless culture on the growth and nutrient uptake of oil palm seedlings in the pre-nursery stage. The study consisted of eight types of growing media (topsoil-control; peat moss; cocopeat; peat moss: cocopeat (1:1); peat moss: cocopeat: perlite (1:1:1); peat moss: cocopeat: perlite (3:2:1); peat moss: perlite (3:1), and cocopeat: perlite (3:1). Results showed that oil palm seedlings grown in all substrates under soilless culture had significant growth improvement compared to those grown in soil, with increased plant height, stem diameter, number of leaves, SPAD value, and overall biomass production. In addition, soilless culture also led to improved nutrient uptake, with elevated concentrations of phosphorus, magnesium, and calcium in above-ground vegetation of up to 127%. Overall, the soilless culture formulation that provided the best plant growth and cost benefit was the cocopeat, costing RM 0.04 per oil palm seedling. The findings of this study suggest that soilless culture can be an effective method for cultivating oil palm seedlings in the pre-nursery stage. The significant growth improvement and increased nutrient uptake observed in soilless culture compared to traditional soil-based cultivation can potentially lead to palm farming with higher productivity.
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