IPNI Releases New OIL PALM 4R SERIES Pocket Guides to Help Improve Oil Palm Management

June 14, 2018. Penang, Malaysia – The International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI) has just published four new pocket guides to help farmers/plantation managers acquire essential knowledge for the implementation of 4R Nutrient Stewardship on their farms or in their fields.

4R Nutrient Stewardship is a core strategy of IPNI to support farmers’/plantation managers’ efforts to sustainably produce sufficient food, feed, fibre and fuel to satisfy the world’s needs. The 4R concept is simple — apply the right source of nutrient, at the right rate, at the right time, and in the right place — in which implementation requires site specific knowledge about crop nutrition.

Oil palm, often grown in nutrient-poor tropical environments, requires external plant nutrients for higher yields. These added nutrients are usually in the form of commercial fertilizers and adequate application guidance is required to achieve optimal crop response.

Our new Oil Palm 4R Series pocket-sized guides are produced for practical use. They are field-ready, compact (9.5 x 15 cm) and contain essential information on how to collect data on soils and palms. With better information, better decisions can be made. Below a brief summary of each pocket guide:

• OIL PALM 4R SERIES Volume One: LEAF SAMPLING UNIT describes how field sampling units are established in an oil palm plantation or farm. Once established, these leaf sampling units can be used for sampling soil and plant tissues, monitoring pests and diseases, environmental /sustainability indicators, as well as auditing field work or conditions.

• OIL PALM 4R SERIES Volume Two: SOIL SAMPLING describes how soil samples are collected from leaf sampling units and prepared for subsequent interpretation as well as laboratory analyses to obtain information on topsoil properties that would be useful to guide nutrient management decisions based on 4R principles.

• OIL PALM 4R SERIES Volume Three: PLANT SAMPLING describes how palm frond tissue samples are collected from leaf sampling units and prepared for subsequent laboratory analyses to gauge palm nutrient status to guide nutrient management decisions based on 4R principles.

• OIL PALM 4R SERIES Volume Four: GROWTH MEASUREMENTS describes how indicators of palm growth are measured in leaf sampling units. These growth measures provide additional diagnostics to guide nutrient management decisions based on 4R principles. They are also useful as performance indicators for benchmarking purposes as well as to assess different farm practices.

For more information and to order, visit IPNI website >> here.

About IPNI
The International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI) is a not-for-profit, science-based organization dedicated to the responsible management of plant nutrition for the benefit of people. Through cooperation and partnerships with respected institutions around the world, IPNI adds its strength to agronomic research, education, demonstrations, training, and other endeavors. Best management practices for nutrient stewardship encourage the concept of 4Rs - applying the right nutrient source, at the right rate, at the right time, and in the right place. To learn more about IPNI, please visit: www.ipni.net

Contact
Dr. Thomas Oberthür, IPNI Director of Southeast Asia Program
Email: toberthur@ipni.net