MAPPING THE NITROGEN STATUS ON IMMATURE OIL PALM AREA IN MALAYSIAN OIL PALM PLANTATION WITH AUTOPILOT TRACTOR-MOUNTED ACTIVE LIGHT SENSOR

• Published in: Journal of Oil Palm Research
• Main Author: Mohammad R.; El Pebrian D.; Azmi M.A.; Husin E.M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lembaga Minyak Sawit Malaysia 2021
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85125799894&doi=10.21894%2fjopr.2021.0012&partnerID=40&md5=ef538fc5af8487a856374d157d335437

This study was conducted to identify and visualise spatially the Nitrogen (N) status on immature oil palm area with an autopilot tractor-mounted active light sensor (ALS) in a Malaysian oil palm plantation. All the measurements taken by the ALS were assessed ‘on-the-go’ at every second while the tractor was moving on the field with autopilot steering mode. The N status was analysed based on 46% of the N content in urea and 40 kg ha–1 N application rate for a standard fertiliser requirement for immature oil palm. The ordinary kriging method was used to produce the interpolated maps of the N status by means of the ArcGIS 10.3 software. It was found that mean N-as applied rate per hectare read by the sensor was 1.62% lower than the recommended one. By showing such very small difference in mean rates, generally, the system showed its effectiveness in monitoring N status on immature oil palm. The interpolated maps also successfully displayed spatial variability of the N status on immature oil palm area, which are useable for reference in applying variable rate application (VRA) to economise the use of fertiliser on the said crop. © 2021 Lembaga Minyak Sawit Malaysia. All rights reserved.