Optimizing automatic irrigation volume and duration for pre-nursery oil palm seedlings (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59651/cceria.v20i2.417Keywords:
Automatic irrigation, Irrigation duration, Irrigation volume, Oil palm seedlings, Pre-nurseryAbstract
Manual irrigation in oil palm pre-nurseries often results in uneven water distribution and inconsistent water volume, which may constrain early seedling growth. This study evaluated the effects of automatic irrigation volume and duration on the vegetative growth of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) seedlings in a pre-nursery system. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse at the Indonesian Oil Palm Technology Institute (ITSI), Medan, from February to May 2025. A factorial completely randomized design was used, consisting of three irrigation volumes (200, 400, and 600 mL per plant per day) and three irrigation durations (20, 30, and 40 min per day), with four replications. A total of 72 D × P Simalungun seedlings were observed for plant height, stem diameter, root length, wet root weight, wet crown weight, dry root weight, and dry crown weight. Data were analyzed using ANOVA followed by Duncan’s Multiple Range Test at the 5% level. The results showed that irrigation volume significantly affected shoot dry weight, with 600 mL per plant per day producing the highest mean value. Irrigation duration significantly affected plant height at 8 weeks after planting, as well as root fresh weight, root dry weight, and shoot dry weight at 12 weeks after planting. The 30 min per day duration consistently produced the highest values for plant height (15.16 cm), root fresh weight (1.32 g), dry weight of roots (0.42 g), and Dry Crown Weight (0.89 g). No significant interaction was found between irrigation volume and duration for all observed variables. These findings indicate that irrigation duration is a key factor in automatic irrigation management, and 30 min per day may support more balanced early growth of oil palm seedlings under greenhouse pre-nursery conditions.
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