Boron Deficiency

Recently, I visited a smallholder oil palm plantation in Melaka. While I walked along the roadside and notice that there are quite a lot the palm leave have below photo syndrome.

What happen to these palms? Is the palm affected by disease? No. This is due to Boron deficiency.

What is Boron (B)?

Boron is one kinds of nutrient element need by oil palm. Oil palm also like human being. They also need nutrient to growth better and produce better yield to the owner. Smallholder must understand that oil palm leave main an important role in generate food for the palm.

Photosynthesis is defined as a process by which green plants and other organisms turn carbon dioxide and water into carbohydrates and oxygen, using light energy trapped by chlorophyll. Thus, you can see that what happen if your leaves are ‘sick’ and how they are able to generate food for the palm. When palm do not food then the palm cannot produce fruit.

This photo is a young mature palm and should be around 6-7 years old palm. This deficiency can subsequently reduce the yield in long term.

How to correct this situation?

There are many brand of fertilizers contain element of Boron (B). One of the them is KieserBor 24-5. There are 3 keys nutrient in 1 application (24.3% MgO + 4.8%B2O3 + 19.8%S)

Please take note that boron is toxic if used in high dosage. This is why KieserBor 24-5 only apply 4.8% of Boron in their fertilizer.

I still remember my former manager told me that the dosage per palm is 100gram only.

So, a hectare only use 136 palms @ 0.1kg = 13.6kg.

One bag of borate contain 50kg and can apply for 3.67 ha.

How to apply ?

100g is small amount and the best way to get accurate dosage is by using table spoon.

This article is simple and hope the small holder can correct their palm immediate and gain more profit from the palm.