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Potassium shortage in oil palm: signs and what to do
What it looks like
Orange or yellow spots on leaflets that join into larger patches ('confluent orange spotting'), yellowing in the middle of the crown, dry leaf tips.
What to do
- Keep up the potash (MOP) in your fertiliser: IIOPR's basal dose for adult palms is 500 g MOP per palm, or 5 kg MOP per acre per month by fertigation.
- Send soil and leaf samples for testing to set the right dose.
Questions
How do I recognise potassium shortage in oil palm?
Orange or yellow spots on leaflets that join into larger patches ('confluent orange spotting'), yellowing in the middle of the crown, dry leaf tips.
What should I do about potassium shortage?
Keep up the potash (MOP) in your fertiliser: IIOPR's basal dose for adult palms is 500 g MOP per palm, or 5 kg MOP per acre per month by fertigation. Send soil and leaf samples for testing to set the right dose.
Sources: ICAR-IIOPR Crop Calendar 2026, TNAU Agritech Portal: oil palm nutrients
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