Identification of Soil Management Factors for Sustainable Oil Palm ( Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) Production in Coastal Plains of Southwest Cameroon

摘要

Background and Objective: Efficient soil fertility management is imperative in achieving sustainable oil palm production. This study was conducted to identify soil management factors in view of optimizing oil palm production in coastal lowlands of Southwest Cameroon. Materials and Methods: Forty two surface (0-30 cm) and subsurface (30-60 cm) soils under oil palm plantations were analyzed using standard laboratory methods and soil data was subjected to descriptive statistics, principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis . Results: In both surface and subsurface soils, 80% of soil properties were highly variable (Coefficient of variation 35%). Principal Component analysis yielded four management factors with surface soils and 5 factors with subsurface soils, accounting for 81.1 and 83.6% of the variation in soil properties , respectively. Based on the principal components derived, the main soil characteristics necessitating management vis-à-vis oil palm growth were base status (exchangeable Ksup+/sup and Mgsup2+/sup, CEC and base saturation), soil acidity (pH-Hsub2/subO), soil organic matter and available P content. Conclusion: Considering the fertility status of the soils, recommended management practices most likely to increase and sustain oil palm production in lowland plains of Southwest Cameroon include adequate use of chemical fertilizers (N, P, K, Mg), adapted legume cover crops for improving on soil N content and the addition of soil organic matter through proper residue management.