25
Crops in this Family: Majestic Palms
Below is a tissue nutrient sufficiency table for the Palm Family (Arecaceae), which includes crops like coconut (Cocos nucifera), date palm (Phoenix dactylifera), and oil palm (Elaeis guineensis). This table provides macro- and micronutrient sufficiency ranges, leaf water content (LWC), and Brix values across key growth stages. The values are derived from research on palm nutrition, such as guidelines from the University of Florida, Malaysian Palm Oil Board, and other tropical agriculture sources, adjusted for Arecaceae physiology, which includes slow growth, high potassium demand, and adaptation to nutrient-poor soils.
Growth stages are defined as:
- Juvenile (early frond development to canopy establishment)
- Vegetative (mature canopy expansion)
- Flowering/Fruit Initiation (inflorescence to early fruit set
- Fruit Maturation (fruit/nut development to harvest)
- Residue
Nutrient concentrations are in percentages (%) for macronutrients and parts per million (ppm) for micronutrients, with LWC as a percentage of fresh weight and Brix (°Bx) as soluble solids in leaf sap.
|
Growth Stage |
N (%) |
P (%) |
K (%) |
Mg (%) |
Ca (%) |
S (%) |
||||||
|
Min |
Max |
Min |
Max |
Min |
Max |
Min |
Max |
Min |
Max |
Min |
Max |
|
|
Juvenile |
2.00 |
2.80 |
0.15 |
0.25 |
1.50 |
2.50 |
0.20 |
0.50 |
0.30 |
0.80 |
0.10 |
0.30 |
|
Vegetative |
1.80 |
2.60 |
0.12 |
0.20 |
1.80 |
3.00 |
0.20 |
0.50 |
0.40 |
1.00 |
0.10 |
0.30 |
|
Flowering/Fruit Initiation |
1.60 |
2.40 |
0.12 |
0.20 |
2.00 |
3.50 |
0.20 |
0.50 |
0.40 |
1.00 |
0.10 |
0.30 |
|
Fruit Maturation |
1.50 |
2.20 |
0.10 |
0.18 |
2.00 |
3.50 |
0.20 |
0.50 |
0.40 |
1.00 |
0.10 |
0.30 |
|
Residue |
1.00 |
2.00 |
0.10 |
0.18 |
2.00 |
3.00 |
0.20 |
0.40 |
0.40 |
1.00 |
0.10 |
0.20 |
|
B (ppm) |
Zn (ppm) |
Mn (ppm) |
Fe (ppm) |
Cu (ppm) |
Mo (ppm) |
|||||||
|
Min |
Max |
Min |
Max |
Min |
Max |
Min |
Max |
Min |
Max |
Min |
Max |
|
|
Juvenile |
10 |
30 |
10 |
30 |
50 |
200 |
50 |
150 |
5 |
15 |
0.10 |
1.00 |
|
Vegetative |
15 |
40 |
10 |
30 |
50 |
200 |
50 |
150 |
5 |
15 |
0.10 |
1.00 |
|
Flowering/Fruit Initiation |
20 |
50 |
10 |
30 |
50 |
200 |
50 |
150 |
5 |
15 |
0.10 |
1.00 |
|
Fruit Maturation |
15 |
40 |
10 |
30 |
50 |
200 |
50 |
150 |
5 |
15 |
0.10 |
1.00 |
|
Residue |
10 |
35 |
10 |
30 |
40 |
150 |
40 |
120 |
4 |
10 |
0.10 |
1.00 |
|
LWC |
BRIX |
|||||||||||
|
Min |
Max |
Min |
Max |
|||||||||
|
Juvenile |
75 |
80 |
8 |
12 |
||||||||
|
Vegetative |
70 |
75 |
10 |
14 |
||||||||
|
Flowering/Fruit Initiation |
68 |
73 |
10 |
16 |
||||||||
|
Fruit Maturation |
65 |
70 |
8 |
12 |
||||||||
|
Residue |
60 |
65 |
6 |
10 |
||||||||
Scanning Recommendation:
- Ensure that over 25% of the scan bed is covered with a single layer of vegetation.
- Nutrient and LWC data are from fully expanded fronds (e.g., middle leaflet of frond 9 or 17 in oil palm, central frond in coconut).
