AN ASSESSMENT OF THE POST-REHABILITATION (FERTILIZATION) OF COCONUT IN SCFDP FARMS, PHILIPPINES

  • Severino S. Magat , Ph.D
Keywords: Small Coconut Farms Development Project, Fertilization

Abstract

Selected sample farms (79) under the Small Coconut Farms Development Project (SCFDP, Philippines) representing five (5) regions and nine (9) provinces were evaluated. The yield trends: (1) initial or benchmark; (2) during rehabilitation period (3-4 years); and (3) post-rehabilitation period (2) years were examined using the nut and copra yield estimation method of the PCA (MAGAT, 1995).

On nut yield, the benchmark average annual yield of 35 nuts/tree increased to 91 nuts/tree during the rehabilitation (rehab) period but dropped to 70 nuts/tree during the post-rehabilitation (post-rehab) period or two (2) years without fertilizer application. This 160% increase in nut production (1995) followed by a reduction of 23% at the post-rehab period is indicative of a moderate to strong residual fertilizer effect after the significant rehabilitation of palms by fertilizer application (supplying mainly N, K, Cl and S fertilizer nutrients). On copra yield, the pre-rehabilitation annual copra yield of 0.94 t ha reached 3.01 t/ha during the rehab period, followed by a drop to 2.21 t/ha at post-rehab. The copra yield increase of 220% during the rehab (1995) is mainly due to the increase in nut yield and nut size or copra weight per nut. An average reduction of 27% during the post- rehab period was observed but in some areas the yield of palms dropped close to pre-rehabilitation nut and copra levels, suggesting lower degree of fertilizer residual effects compared to other coconut regions.

Implications of findings in relation to the rehabilitation by judicious fertilization of low-yielding, nutritionally-deficient non­-senile palms are discussed.

References

MAGAT, S.S. (1994). Field Notes on an Update of Coconut Fertilizer Use Efficiency and Productivity of SCFDP farms. Phil. J. Coconut Studies 19(1): 14-24.

MAGAT, S.S., V.L. CADIGAL, and J.A. HABANA. 1975. Yield Improvement of Coconut in Elevated Inland Area of Davao by KC1 Fertilization. Crop Sci. J. Phils. 1(1): 60-67. Also in: Oleagineux 30(10) 413-418.

MAGAT, S.S. 1978. The Use of Leaf Analysis in the Conduct of Ferti lizer Trials in the Philippines. Proceedings of the 8"' International Colloqium on Plant Analysis and Fertilizer Problems. Univ. Of Auckland, New Zealand. D.S.I.R. Information Series No. 134. Pp. 299-311. Also in Phil. J. Coconut Studies 4(1): 32-39.

MARGATE, R.Z., S.S. MAGAT, L.M. ALFORJA and J.A. HABANA. 1978. A Long-Term KCl Fertilization Study of Bearing Coconuts in an Inland-Upland Area of Davao. Phil. J. Coconut Studies 3(4): 1-14. Also in Oleagineux 34(5): 235-242.

MAGAT, S.S., and R.Z. Margate. 1990. The Chlorine Needs of Coconuts, CORD 7(1): 30-51.

MAGAT, S.S., G.D. PADRONES, J.A. HABANA and L.M. ALFORJA. 1991. Residual Effects of Chloride Fertilizers on Yield of Coconuts Grown on an lnland Soil of Davao (Mindanao, Philippines). Phil. J. Coconut Studies. 16(1): 1-8.

MAGAT, S.S. 1991. Fertilizer Recommendations for Coconut based on Soil and Leaf Analyses. Phil. J. Coconut Studies. 16(2): 25-30.

PCA. 1989. Small Coconut Farms Development Project. A Proposal Submitted by the Government of the Philippines (GOP) to World Bank. February 1989. Two Volumes (Vol. 1, 88 p.)

WORLD BANK. 1994. Small Coconut Farms Development Project (SCFDP): Supervision Mission, February 1994. Aide-Memoire 10p p
Published
1999-06-01
How to Cite
Severino S. Magat , Ph.D. (1999). AN ASSESSMENT OF THE POST-REHABILITATION (FERTILIZATION) OF COCONUT IN SCFDP FARMS, PHILIPPINES. CORD, 15(01), 34. https://doi.org/10.37833/cord.v15i01.321
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Articles