=

Yellowing of entire foliage.

Deficiency Symptoms = Clusters of affected palms

next to healthy palms on well-

in Oil Palm
drained soils.

= Low-lying areas or

Drainage
basins that are difficult or
uneconomic to drain.
= Blocked drain outlets.
= Compacted soils (hardpan).
Leaf Plant Likely
symptoms symptoms environments

N
= Small, pale green or yellow,
occurring first at the lower fronds.
= Degree of yellowing indicates
severity of deficiency.
= Yellow rachis and midribs with
narrow leaflets that roll inwards.
= Tips of affected leaflets may turn
purplish brown.
= P: Reduced leaf size.
P K K = P: Lusterless dark green leaves.
Nitrogen

= Reduced frond production and = K: Marginal yellowing; necrosis

plant growth rate. starting at tips of older leaves.
= Reduced petiole cross section = K: Leaf base and midrib remain
(PCS) in mature palms. green.
= Delay in onset of first harvest = Mg: Yellowing of older leaves

Cover Plants
= Reduction in yield. K particularly at interveins.
= Mg: Yellow mottles on leaf tips
= Waterlogged conditions (pH which become necrotic and
<4). desiccated.
= Shallow or compacted soils.
= After application of organic
residues with wide C:N ratio. Mg = P: Very dark green or dark red-
purple bines.
= P: Poor establishment.
= P: Stunted, reduced growth.
= P: Leaves progressively smaller

P Mg
= Short fronds. along the bine.
= Stunted; reduced vegetative = P: Defoliation.
growth.
= Trunk diameter decreases with
increasing height (pyramid
shape).

= Eroded topsoils.
Phosphorus

Cu
= Small chlorotic streaks in leaflet
= P-fixing sedimentary soils. tip that gradually turn yellow.
= Soils from volcanic ash. = Pale green to yellow-orange
streaks along leaf interveins, but
pinnae remain green.
= Necrotic, desiccated leaf tips.

= Midcrown chlorosis.
= Retarded growth and reduced
palm length.
Copper

= Stunting and palm death.

= Peat soils.
= Very sandy soils (>90%
sand).
= After large applications of
P and N fertilizer without

K
= Confluent orange spotting, sufficient K.
diffused midcrown yellowing or = After large applications of Mg
white stripe Yellowing or white fertilizer.
stripe.
= Chlorotic or necrotic spots on
older fronds.

= Flat-topped appearance in

Fe
= Pale green to yellowish-green
Potassium

young palms. interveins.

= Reduced frond size and delayed
development of entire crown.
= Chlorosis of the youngest 3-4
fronds.
= Peat soils. = Yellow, desiccated older fronds.
= Shallow or compacted soils. = Frond snapping in middle or
= Low pH sandy soils. upper crowns.
= Ex-forest or savannah = Collapse of spear and leaf
grasslands where intensive cabbage.
cropping was practiced.
Iron

= Very calcareous soils (pH

>7.5).
= Deep peat soils.
= After large applications of P
fertilizer.
= Deep organic soils over
= Olive green to ochre patches sandy soils.

Mg on leaflets exposed to light, but

shaded pinnae remains green.
= Ochre to bright yellow fronds
that turn necrotic.

= Sandy soils with shallow or

Magnesium

S
eroded topsoils. = Bright yellow color.
= High rainfall areas (>3,500 = Orange necrotic spots.
mm/yr). = Reddish discoloration on leaf
= Over-fertilization of other margins starting from leaflet tip.
nutrients causing imbalance
with Mg. = Ex-grassland savannah soils.
Sulfur

B
= Brittle with dark-green color.
= Abnormal leaf shape (crinkle
leaf, hooked leaf).
= Pale, transparent spots aligned
on either side of secondary
veins in very young palms.

= Reduced frond length leading to

‘flat-topped’ appearance. POTASH & PHOSPHATE INSTITUTE
= Truncation of frond tip (blind leaf).
Boron

= Fish-bone appearance of severely

affected fronds.
= Palm death due to necrosis of palm
growing point.
= Poor kernel formation (partly
parthenocarpic fruits).

= Peat soils and very sandy soils

= Acid soils (pH <4.5) or very
alkaline soils (pH 7.5). INTERNATIONAL POTASH INSTITUTE
= After large application of N, K,
and Ca fertilizers.
Southeast Asia Program