New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science abstracts

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Short communication
Leaching losses of soil applied potassium fertiliser in pineapple(Ananas comosus) cultivation on tropical peat soils in Malaysia

O. H. Ahmed
M. H. A. Husni
M. M. Hanafi
A. R. Anuar
S. R. Syed Omar

Department of Land Management
Faculty of Agriculture
University Putra Malaysia
43400 Serdang
Selangor, Malaysia
email: osman60@hotmail.com

Abstract With good drainage systems, some vegetables, horticultural crops, plantation crops, and rice have been successfully grown on both temperate and tropical peat soils. In Malaysia, pineapple (Ananas comosus) is mainly grown on peat soils. However, most of the potassium (K) fertiliser recommendations are made without satisfactory quantification of the total K uptake in relation to the distribution of K in pineapple parts. Loss of K through leaching has also not been properly investigated although its retention in peat soils is low. This preliminary study was carried out to determine the efficiency using applied K under a conventional recommended fertilisation programme in pineapple cultivation with in situ residue burning (before replanting). Results showed that most of the K uptake in pineapple can be found in fruit, stems, and leaves. However, the general trend of K distribution was in the order of: fruits > leaves > stem > peduncle > crown > roots. K recovery in pineapple cultivation was 36%, and this low recovery was attributed to leaching. K losses through leaching in pineapple cultivation on tropical peat soils needs to be taken into account in fertiliser recommendations for efficient recovery of K. This is important because it is not possible to build up the K content of peat soils by saturating the exchange complex.

Keywords pineapple; potassic fertiliser; tropical peat soil; potassium leaching

New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science, 2006, Vol. 34: 155–161
0014–0671/06/3402–0155      © The Royal Society of New Zealand 2006
H05044; Online publication date 27 April 2006. Received 2 May 2005; accepted 31 October 2005

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