The effects of oil palm’s empty fruit bunch compost with hexaconazole on biomass production and nutrient contents of sweet potato var. VitAto cultivated on sandy soil

Abstract

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of various treatment combinations consisting of oil palm's empty fruit bunch (EFB) compost and hexaconazole (HEX) on dry mass production, partitioning and nutrient concentrations and contents of sweet potato var. VitAto. The treatments consisted of the recommended inorganic fertilizer for VitAto cultivation (control), solely EFB compost and the combination of treatments consisting of EFB compost with 10 or 30 ppm HEX, using a randomized complete block design (RCBD) replicated four times on sandy soil. The destructive biomass analysis was carried out at 30, 55, 77 and 99 days after planting, which corresponded to the following growth stages, storage root initiation, early and middle bulking and maturity, respectively. The final biomass harvest (99 days after planting) was used for N, P and K nutrient analysis. The greatest response was observed using EFB compost plus 30 ppm HEX treatment, which significantly increased storage root dry mass production, storage root mass ratio, root to shoot ratio, plant total K content, storage root K concentration and content by 16.9%, 15.2%, 58.8%, 75.5%, 69.4% and 106.9% at the maturity stage, respectively. The results showed that the control treatment favored the growth of leaf and stem, while the EFB compost with 30 ppm HEX treatment favored the growth of storage root. The EFB treatment was able to supply high K nutrient to the plant. Both K and HEX were able to increase the assimilate translocation to storage root and consequently increased the storage root dry mass production. Based on the finding of this study, it is proposed that the EFB compost with 30 ppm HEX combination treatment could be used by farmers as alternative inputs to the inorganic fertilizer application in VitAto cultivation on sandy soil.

Critical evaluation of oil palm fresh fruit bunch solid wastes as soil amendments: Prospects and challenges

“…The effects on pineapple growth and yield have not been documented. Haya et al (2017) demonstrated that the K content of orange-fleshed sweet potato storage root increased significantly (p<0.05) due to the application of EFB compost + 30 ppm hexaconazole (growth regulator) by % more than the control. The EFB compost led to a significant increase (p<0.05) in the K contents of the sweet potato leaf, stem and root by 0.58, 0.68, and 0.37 % more than the control, respectively.…”

Combined Application of Filter Cake and Macadamia Husk Compost Affects Soil Fertility and Plant Mineral Content of Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potatoes

“…2023, 13, x FOR PEER REVIEW 10 of 16 organic compost has been reported to favor the partitioning of dry matter to the root of sweet potatoes [41,42]. Dry matter partitioning is a function of the flow of assimilates from source organs such as leaves through a transport path to the sink organs such as storage roots in sweet potatoes [41][42][43]. In this study, the partitioning of dry matter to the storage root was enhanced by the FC+MHC treatment in the 199062.1 cultivar.…”

“…MHC-only and IF-only treatments had the lowest influence on dry matter partitioning to the root when compared with other treatments and the control in both cultivars (Figure 2). The higher partitioning of the dry matter to the root in filter cake-related treatments may have been due to early initiation and faster growth of the storage roots [42]. Phosphorus, which is abundantly present in filter cake, has been implicated in promoting early root growth, stimulating tillering, and increasing water use efficiency [44].…”

“…Phosphorus, which is abundantly present in filter cake, has been implicated in promoting early root growth, stimulating tillering, and increasing water use efficiency [44]. The application of organic compost has been reported to favor the partitioning of dry matter to the root of sweet potatoes [41,42]. Combined application of filter cake and macadamia husk compost (FC+MHC) and other treatments investigated altered the nutrient content in the leaves and storage root of the 199062.1 cultivar of orange-fleshed sweet potato.…”