Agriculture and Environment: Palm Oil

Environmental Impacts: Use of Fertilisers

Palm oil production requires less fertiliser per unit of output than other oilseed crops.

However, it could require even less. The constant removal of nutrients from the plantations in the form of fruit bunches requires fertiliser inputs so that the production does not decline over time.

For that reason the standard nutrients nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, plus other trace elements, are applied regularly to oil palm trees.

Judicious use of fertilisers
A number of factors affect the amount of any type of fertiliser that is applied to oil palm plantations. The key variables include the amount or type of ground cover, the slope of the land cleared for the plantation, and whether the empty fruit bunches or other organic matter are used to mulch the area where fertilisers are applied.

If these factors are not addressed then more agrochemical inputs will be required because those used will tend to leach out of the plantation and into fresh water systems.