Coconut Farmers Encouraged to Test Soil on Their Properties

The multibillion-US-dollar global coconut industry is bustling with new products, which have emerged from technologies and innovations in the creation of climate and disease-resistant hybrids and machines used in reaping ready nuts.

However, despite the many advances, success with coconuts begins at the ground level with the quality and elemental composition of the soil.

This is why the Coconut Industry Board (CIB) continues to encourage coconut farmers to do soil tests on their farms, to secure optimal results from their yields.

Soil testing is a tried-and-true agricultural best practice that remains crucial to the success of not just the coconut industry, but the wider agricultural sector.

This soil management tool helps determine the fertility of the soil by analysing the chemical, physical and biological components.

Soil is normally comprised of 45 per cent minerals, five per cent organic matter, 25 per cent air and 25 per cent water. Over time, climatic conditions can cause changes in the soil and this is when soil conservation and soil amelioration are needed to bring the nutrients back to the soil for ideal productivity.

Coconuts are grown in a wide range of soil types; however, they are grown best on sandy loam soils that are high in organic matter, and clay soils that are well drained and not waterlogged.

Agronomist and Crop Physiologist at the CIB, Lydia Tucker, says before planting, it is recommended that a soil test is done.

“This will help the farmers to determine the nutrient level in the soil and the pH. The pH level is important, as this helps farmers to identify the elements that are present in the soil, for instance whether there is a deficiency or an excess,” she tells JIS News in an interview.

The soil can be described as an engineering medium, one that recycles nutrients, accommodates plant growth, regulates water quality and is a habitat for organisms.

Testing the soil before planting also forms part of precision agricultural practices that ensure the delivery of what is needed in the correct quantities.

Knowing what the soil needs will inform the best use of fertilisers. This in turn supports nutrient uptake in plants, resulting in higher-quality nuts.

Ms. Tucker points out that after planting, there are different stages of fertilisers needed for plants.

“For plants that are planted within the first year you have the start booster. This a combined blend of fertiliser, which includes nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium along with other micro elements. These elements are important in root development and crop establishment,” she notes.

For the second stage, known as the vegetative state, it is important that the coconut plants receive fertiliser. This is a developmental stage that results in the expansion of roots along with the shoots.

“It is also important for stem growth. When you go to the productive stage, the productive stage is where the plants need nutrients. The productive stage is the final stage and this is where the plants need maximum nutrients for productivity and it’s a combined blend of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium,” Ms. Tucker says.

“Potassium is important for the fruiting; especially in coconuts ,it helps in the formation of fat, sugar and fibrous material. With potassium lacking, then you will have minimal flowering, and your nuts will not be as big or as sweet, as it provides the sugar,” she adds.

The Agronomist and Crop Physiologist also emphasises that coconut plants also need boron.

“Boron is a micronutrient, and it is important as it helps with pollen germination, flower and fruit formation. Magnesium is also important as a trace element. After planting, proper care should be taken as this will help in providing the plants with all the required nutrients, based on the soil test result that has been done and the fertiliser that is being applied,” she tells JIS News.

With the significant increase in the demand for coconuts and trends indicating that this demand will continue to rise, farmers should incorporate approved strategies that will secure high-quality nuts.

For support, farmers can access the Coconut Industry Board via their website – coconutindustryboard.org or their office at 18 Waterloo Road in Kingston.

The Board provides free planting material to their registered growers, fertiliser benefits, a weed grant and free advisory services to farmers.