Abstract
Precision farming has become a popular topic of agriculture research particularly on the topics of variable rate technology (VRT) for site specific prescription and application of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers. Granular fertilizer is the most commonly used type of fertilizer in the oil palm industry and the usual method of application is spreading or broadcasting by hand and using the spinner spreader or power duster. Application uniformity is an important element for both variable and field averaged constant rate of application. The introduction of the bulk fertilizer handling and application using the multi bin silo system in Kumpulan Guthrie estates since 1998 has evolved in tandem with VRT and unique in its development as it encompasses delivery from warehouse right to the application in the field. This paper discusses the performance of the G-spreader with the bulk delivery system and highlight the possibility of applying variable rate fertilization for various granular fertilizer such as Muriate Of Potash (MOP) and Ammonium Sulphate (AS) which are widely used for oil palm.Incluye referencias bibliográficas.Precision farming has become a popular topic of agriculture research particularly on the topics of variable rate technology (VRT) for site specific prescription and application of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers. Granular fertilizer is the most commonly used type of fertilizer in the oil palm industry and the usual method of application is spreading or broadcasting by hand and using the spinner spreader or power duster. Application uniformity is an important element for both variable and field averaged constant rate of application. The introduction of the bulk fertilizer handling and application using the multi bin silo system in Kumpulan Guthrie estates since 1998 has evolved in tandem with VRT and unique in its development as it encompasses delivery from warehouse right to the application in the field. This paper discusses the performance of the G-spreader with the bulk delivery system and highlight the possibility of applying variable rate fertilization for various granular fertilizer such as Muriate Of Potash (MOP) and Ammonium Sulphate (AS) which are widely used for oil palm.