Integrated Soil–Leaf Nutrient Correlation as a Precision Diagnostic Approach for Fertilizer Evaluation in Peatland Oil Palm

¹ Doctoral Program in Plant Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Sriwijaya University, Bukit Besar 30139 Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia
² Agrotechnology Study Program, Faculty of Agriculture, Tridinanti University 30114 Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia
³ Teaching Staff at the Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Sriwijaya, Inderalaya 30662, Indonesia
⁴ Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, IPB University, Bogor 16680, West Java, Indonesia.
⁵ Research Department of PT. Agrinas Palma Nusantara (Persero) Jakarta 13340 Indonesia
⁶ Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Indonesia, Depok 16424, West Java, Indonesia

^* Corresponding Author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Abstract

Efficient nutrient management in peatland oil palm plantations is challenging due to the unique chemical characteristics of peat soils and high nutrient losses. This study evaluated the relationship between soil nutrient availability and leaf nutrient status and their implications for fertilizer management in mature oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) grown on peatlands. Data were collected from productive oil palm plantations with an average plant age of 9.47 years (range 8-11 years). Observed parameters included soil chemical properties (pH, N, P, and K), leaf nutrient concentrations (N, P, and K), and fresh fruit bunch (FFB) production. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and simple linear regression. The results showed that peat soils were strongly acidic, with an average pH of 3.94. Soil nitrogen and phosphorus were relatively high, averaging 1.41% and 96.19 ppm, respectively, whereas exchangeable potassium averaged 0.77 cmol(+)/kg. Leaf nutrient concentrations averaged 2.61% N, 0.17% P, and 0.99% K. FFB production varied from 12.36 to 33.01 ton ha⁻¹ year⁻¹, with an average of 23.44 ton ha⁻¹ year⁻¹. Positive relationships were observed between soil nutrient availability and leaf nutrient status, indicating that soil fertility influenced nutrient uptake by oil palm. Among the evaluated nutrients, phosphorus availability in both soil and leaf tissue showed the strongest positive association with FFB production, whereas elevated leaf nitrogen concentrations tended to be negatively associated with yield. Potassium exhibited the strongest soil-leaf relationship, highlighting its importance in nutrient uptake dynamics under peatland conditions. These findings demonstrate that integrating soil and leaf nutrient analyses provides a more comprehensive evaluation of fertilizer effectiveness than soil analysis alone. Such an approach can improve nutrient-use efficiency and support site-specific fertilizer recommendations for sustainable oil palm production on peat soils.