Effect of Different Doses of Magnesium Sulphate Monohydrate on Productivity of Oil Palm

Objectives: The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of doses of magnesium sulphate monohydrate for increased productivity in the cultivation of oil palm.

Location and Duration of Study: The experiment was conducted in the Company Marborges, located in the municipality of Garrafão do Norte, State of Pará, Brazil, during 2014 to 2015.

Methodology: The experiment was laid out in randomized block design, consisting of five treatments viz., magnesium sulphate monohydrate @ 0 g plant-1, 500 g plant-1, 1000 g plant-1,1500 g plant-1 and 2000 g plant-1 with three replications. Soil samples were collected from two depths i.e., 20 and 40 cm before the treatments imposition for laboratory analysis. After soil sample collection, treatments were applied manually twice, with an interval of 6 months. The harvests of fresh fruit bunches were manually performed every fifteen days within a period of two years being evaluated the sum of the number of bunches of fresh fruits produced by treatment; bunch weight of fresh fruit (Kg) and productivity (t/ha/year). Performed analysis of variance year level of 5% probability and for variables whose F was significant regression analysis.

Results: The superficial application of magnesium sulphate monohydrate to the root zone of the treated plants promoted a significant increase in the level (P<0.05) probability of error, the dose of 1500 g plant-1 provided an increase of 12% for the variable number of bunches of fresh fruit. With respect to the variable weight of fresh fruit, bunches were unable to calculate the best dose for the increase in weight was 1370 g plant-1.The dose of 1000 g plant-1 provided a 15% gain for the variable fresh fruit weight when compared to the control. For the variable productivity, this dose had a significant effect (P <0.05), when compared to dose 0.

Conclusion: This study showed that the superficial application of MgSO4 had a significant positive effect on the oil palm crop, improving nutrition in Mg and S, allowing an increase in the number and weight of fresh fruit bunch, which increased crop productivity. In the conditions studied, the ideal dose obtained by means of the derivative of the first equation was 1333 g plant-1 being between 1000 and 1500 g plant-1.