Declining yields in oil palm fresh fruit bunch (FFB) have been recorded over the past years in the coastal lowlands of southwest Cameroon and current actual yields are very low (<12 t FFB ha−1•yr−1) compared to the potential yields (25 t FFB ha−1•yr−1). One of the problems limiting optimum oil palm production is lack of detailed pedological information to guide plantation establishment and management. A land suitability evaluation was carried out for some major oil palm producing areas of southwest Cameroon to identify land qualities limiting optimal production. Thirteen sites (9 with sedimentary parent materials and 4 with volcanic parent material) were evaluated using a parametric method. Results indicate that climate was not a major limiting factor for oil palm production in coastal plains of southwest Cameroon. However, soil physical characteristics (mainly clayey texture and poor drainage) and soil fertility constitute limitations to oil palm production. Specifically, limitations in cation exchange capacity (CEC), base saturation (BS), organic carbon (OC) and pH were slight to moderate while K mole fraction was the most severe and the most limiting in all the sites. The fertility limitations were more pronounced in soils derived from sedimentary parent materials where 33% had limitations caused by soil pH and OC compared to none for volcanic soils. In addition, 77.8% of sedimentary soils had limitations caused by CEC compared to 25% for volcanic soils. Considering the overall suitability, soils derived from volcanic parent materials were potentially more suitable for oil palm cultivation ((S3)—50%, (S2)—50%) compared to sedimentary soils ((N)—11%, (S3)—78% and (S2)—11%). Based on the suitability classes of the different soils derived from dissimilar parent materials, appropriate site-specific soil management is needed to improve oil palm yields, especially with emphasis on K fertilization and improved soil water management. Plantation management in coastal plains of South West Cameroon therefore should factor in differences in soil parent material.
References
[1]
Fairhurst, T. and Mutert, E. (1999) Introduction to Oil Palm Production. Better Crops International, 13, 3-6.
[2]
UNEP (2011) Oil Palm Plantations: Threats and Opportunities for Tropical Ecosystems. UNEP Global Environmental Alert Service (GEAS), 8.
[3]
Obi, J.C. and Udoh, B.T. (2012) Nutrient Budget for Optimal Oil Palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq) Yield on Coastal Plain Sands Soils of Akwa Ibom State Nigeria. Open Journal of Soil Science, 2, 289-298. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojss.2012.23035
[4]
Mutert, E. (1999) Suitability of Soils for Oil Palm in South East Asia. Better Crops International, 13, 36-38.
Pingpoh, D.P. and Senahoun, J. (2008) Extent and Impact of Vegetable Oils Import Surges in Cameroon. 12th EAAE Congress “People, Food and Environments: Global Trends and European Strategies”, Ghent, 26-29 August 2008, 1-11.
[7]
Hasselo, H.N. (1961) The Soils of the Lower Eastern Slopes of the Cameroon Mountain and Their Suitability for Various Perennial Crops. Veenman en Zonen NV, Wageningen, 67 p. https://doi.org/10.1097/00010694-196205000-00026
[8]
Kips, P., Van Ranst, E., Krook, L. and Zambo, J. (1991) Morphology, Mineralogy and Exchange Properties as Related to Geomorphic Position of Soils in Tiko Plain, Coastal West Cameroon. Catena, 18, 213-231.
https://doi.org/10.1016/0341-8162(91)90018-S
[9]
Wyrley-Birch, E.A., Anderson, I.P., Cox, W.J.R., Errington, M. and Walker, S.H. (1982) Land Suitability and Feasibility Study for Oil Palm and Rubber Plantations in South-West Cameroon. Volume 1 Main Report. Land Resources Development Centre, Overseas Development Administration, Tolworth Tower, Surbiton, 123 p.
[10]
Pirker, J. and Mosnier, A. (2015) Global Oil Palm Suitability Assessment. IIASA Interim Report, 27.
[11]
Pirker, J. (2015) Mapping Oil Palm Suitability Protocol. Technical Annex 1. Oil Palm Suitability Map for South West Cameroon. IEL International, 23.
[12]
Bouyoucos, G.J. (1962) Hydrometer Method Improved for Making Particle Size Analysis of Soil. Agronomy Journal, 54, 464-465.
https://doi.org/10.2134/agronj1962.00021962005400050028x
[13]
Pauwels, J.M., Van Ranst, E., Verloo, M. and Mvondo Ze, A. (1992) Manuel de laboratoire de pédologie. Méthodes d’analyses des sols et des plantes, équipement, gestion de stocks de verrerie et de produits chimiques. Publications Agricoles 28, Bruxelles.
[14]
Sys, C., Van Ranst, E. and Debaveye, J. (1991) Land Evaluation. Part I: Principles in Land Evaluation and Crop Production Calculations. Agric. Pub. No. 7, General Administration for Development Cooperation, Brussels.
[15]
Sys, C., Van Ranst, E. and Debaveye, J. (1991) Land Evaluation. Part II: Methods in Land Evaluation. Agric. Pub. No. 7, General Administration for Development Cooperation, Brussels.
[16]
Sys, C., Van Ranst, E. and Debaveye, J. (1993) Land Evaluation. Part III: Crop Requirements. Agric. Pub. No. 7, General Administration for Development Cooperation, Brussels.
[17]
Ogunkunle, O.A. (1993) Soil in Land Suitability Evaluation: An Example with Oil Palm in Nigeria. Soil Use Manage, 9, 35-40.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-2743.1993.tb00925.x
[18]
Paramananthan, S. (2013) Soil Properties and Their Influence on Oil Palm Management and Yield. In: Webb, M.J., Nelson, P.N., Bessou, C., Caliman, J.P. and Sutarta, E.S., Eds., Sustainable Management of Soil in Oil Palm Plantings, Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, Canberra, 70.
[19]
Unamba-Oparah, I. (1985) The Potassium Status of the Sandy Soils of Northern Imo State, Nigeria. Soil Science, 139, 437-448.
https://doi.org/10.1097/00010694-198505000-00009
[20]
Nelson, P.N., Rhebergen, T., Berthelsen, S., Michael, J.W., Banabas, M., Oberthiir, T., Donough, C.R., Rahmadsyah, Indrasuara, K. and Lubis, A. (2011) Soil Acidification under Oil Palm: Rates and Effects on Yield. Better Crops with Plant Food, 95, 22-25.
[21]
Yerima, B.P.K. and Van Ranst, E. (2005) Introduction to Soil Science: Soils of the Tropics. Trafford Publishing, Victoria.
[22]
Gray, J.M., Bishop, T.F. and Wilson, B.R. (2015) Factors Controlling Soil Organic Carbon Stocks with Depth in Eastern Australia. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 79, 1741-1751. https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2015.06.0224
[23]
Kaiser, K. and Guggenberger, G. (2003) Mineral Surfaces and Soil Organic Matter. European Journal of Soil Science, 54, 219-236.
https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2389.2003.00544.x
[24]
Ibia, T.O. and Udo, E.J. (1993) Phosphorus Forms and Fixation Capacity of Representative Soils in Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria. Geoderma, 58, 95-106.
https://doi.org/10.1016/0016-7061(93)90087-2
[25]
Hartemink, A.E. and Bridges, E.M. (1995) The Influence of Parent Material on Soil Fertility Degradation in the Coastal Plain of Tanzania. Land Degradation and Rehabilitation, 6, 215-221. https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.3400060403
[26]
Tinker, P.B. and Smilde, K.W. (1963) Cation Relationships and Magnesium Deficiency in the Oil Palm. Journal of the West African Institute for Oil Palm Research, 4, 82-100.
[27]
Ajiboye, G.A. and Ogunwale, J.A. (2008) Potassium Distribution in the Sand, Silt and Clay Separates of Soils Developed over Talc at Ejiba, Kogi State, Nigeria. World Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 4, 709-716.
[28]
Von Uexkull, H.R. and Fairhurst, T.H. (1992) Oil Palm. International Potash Institute, Singapore.
[29]
Chardon, W.J. and Schoumans, O.F. (2007) Soil Texture Effects on the Transport of Phosphorus from Agricultural Land in River Deltas of Northern Belgium, the Netherlands and North-West Germany. Soil Use and Management, 23, 16-24.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-2743.2007.00108.x
[30]
Woittiez, L.S., van Wijk, M.T., Slingerland, M., van Noordwijk, M. and Giller, K.E. (2017) Yield Gaps in Oil Palm: A Quantitative Review of Contributing Factors. European Journal of Agronomy, 83, 57-77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eja.2016.11.002
[31]
Rankine, I. and Fairhurst, T.H. (1999) Management of Phosphorus, Potassium and Magnesium in Mature Oil Palm. Better Crops International, 13, 10-15.
[32]
Henson, I.E., Harun, M.H. and Chang, K.C. (2008) Some Observations on the Effects of High Water Tables and Flooding on Oil Palm, and a Preliminary Model of Oil Palm Water Balance and Use in the Presence of a High Water Table. Oil Palm Bulletin, 56, 14-22.
[33]
Comte, I., Colin, F., Whalen, J.K., Grünberger, O. and Caliman, J.P. (2012) Agricultural Practices in Oil Palm Plantations and Their Impact on Hydrological Changes, Nutrient Fluxes and Water Quality in Indonesia: A Review. Advances in Agronomy, 116, 71-124. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-394277-7.00003-8
