Sustaining cocoa production on oxisols in Malaysia

Oxisols are dominated by variable charge minerals in their clay fraction, containing an insufficient amount of Ca and Mg in their soil solutions. Under natural conditions, cocoa grown on the soils is subjected to the stress of low pH and Al and/or Mn toxicity, which eventually produces low yields. T...

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Main Authors: Jusop, Shamsuddin, Panhwar, Qurban Ali, Ismail, Roslan, Che Ishak, Fauziah, Naher, Umme Aminun, Hakeem, Khalid Rehman
Other Authors: Hakeem, Khalid Rehman
Format: Book Section
Language:English
Published: Springer International Publishing 2015
Online Access:http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/47350/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/47350/1/Sustaining%20Cocoa%20Production%20on.pdf
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author Jusop, Shamsuddin
Panhwar, Qurban Ali
Ismail, Roslan
Che Ishak, Fauziah
Naher, Umme Aminun
Hakeem, Khalid Rehman
author2 Hakeem, Khalid Rehman
author_facet Hakeem, Khalid Rehman
Jusop, Shamsuddin
Panhwar, Qurban Ali
Ismail, Roslan
Che Ishak, Fauziah
Naher, Umme Aminun
Hakeem, Khalid Rehman
author_sort Jusop, Shamsuddin
building UPM Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Oxisols are dominated by variable charge minerals in their clay fraction, containing an insufficient amount of Ca and Mg in their soil solutions. Under natural conditions, cocoa grown on the soils is subjected to the stress of low pH and Al and/or Mn toxicity, which eventually produces low yields. This chapter discusses the chemical properties of Oxisols in Malaysia and explains how the productivity of the soils is enhanced using lime or basalt, which increases soil pH. When the pH goes up above 5, Al in the soil solutions is precipitated as inert Al-hydroxides, with the concomitant elimination of toxic Mn. The increase in pH would result in the increase of the CEC, attributed to the reaction of the variable charge minerals present in the soils. Basalt application would also lower pH of the soils, which further increases the CEC. On dissolution, lime supplies Ca and Mg into the soils, and basalt not only releases these metals, but also K, P, and S. Ca, by itself, is able to reduce Al toxicity. One of the best methods of alleviating the infertility of Oxisols for cocoa cultivation is to apply basalt in combination with organic materials. Growing cocoa on Oxisols requires heavy application of NPK fertilizers, usually in the form of ammonium sulfate, rock phosphate, and muriate of potash, respectively. Occasionally, kieserite is applied to increase Mg reserve in the soils. Application of a high amount of N fertilizer will in the end acidify the soils, but it will be offset by the production of hydroxyl ions due to the specific adsorption of phosphate and sulfate ions on the surfaces of the oxides of Fe present in the soils. In that way, the production of cocoa on the Oxisols of Malaysia is sustained.
first_indexed 2025-11-15T10:11:57Z
format Book Section
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institution Universiti Putra Malaysia
institution_category Local University
language English
last_indexed 2025-11-15T10:11:57Z
publishDate 2015
publisher Springer International Publishing
recordtype eprints
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spelling upm-473502019-11-22T07:16:33Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/47350/ Sustaining cocoa production on oxisols in Malaysia Jusop, Shamsuddin Panhwar, Qurban Ali Ismail, Roslan Che Ishak, Fauziah Naher, Umme Aminun Hakeem, Khalid Rehman Oxisols are dominated by variable charge minerals in their clay fraction, containing an insufficient amount of Ca and Mg in their soil solutions. Under natural conditions, cocoa grown on the soils is subjected to the stress of low pH and Al and/or Mn toxicity, which eventually produces low yields. This chapter discusses the chemical properties of Oxisols in Malaysia and explains how the productivity of the soils is enhanced using lime or basalt, which increases soil pH. When the pH goes up above 5, Al in the soil solutions is precipitated as inert Al-hydroxides, with the concomitant elimination of toxic Mn. The increase in pH would result in the increase of the CEC, attributed to the reaction of the variable charge minerals present in the soils. Basalt application would also lower pH of the soils, which further increases the CEC. On dissolution, lime supplies Ca and Mg into the soils, and basalt not only releases these metals, but also K, P, and S. Ca, by itself, is able to reduce Al toxicity. One of the best methods of alleviating the infertility of Oxisols for cocoa cultivation is to apply basalt in combination with organic materials. Growing cocoa on Oxisols requires heavy application of NPK fertilizers, usually in the form of ammonium sulfate, rock phosphate, and muriate of potash, respectively. Occasionally, kieserite is applied to increase Mg reserve in the soils. Application of a high amount of N fertilizer will in the end acidify the soils, but it will be offset by the production of hydroxyl ions due to the specific adsorption of phosphate and sulfate ions on the surfaces of the oxides of Fe present in the soils. In that way, the production of cocoa on the Oxisols of Malaysia is sustained. Springer International Publishing Hakeem, Khalid Rehman 2015 Book Section PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/47350/1/Sustaining%20Cocoa%20Production%20on.pdf Jusop, Shamsuddin and Panhwar, Qurban Ali and Ismail, Roslan and Che Ishak, Fauziah and Naher, Umme Aminun and Hakeem, Khalid Rehman (2015) Sustaining cocoa production on oxisols in Malaysia. In: Crop Production and Global Environmental Issues. Springer International Publishing, Switzerland, pp. 169-180. ISBN 9783319231617; EISBN: 9783319231624 10.1007/978-3-319-23162-4_7
spellingShingle Jusop, Shamsuddin
Panhwar, Qurban Ali
Ismail, Roslan
Che Ishak, Fauziah
Naher, Umme Aminun
Hakeem, Khalid Rehman
Sustaining cocoa production on oxisols in Malaysia
title Sustaining cocoa production on oxisols in Malaysia
title_full Sustaining cocoa production on oxisols in Malaysia
title_fullStr Sustaining cocoa production on oxisols in Malaysia
title_full_unstemmed Sustaining cocoa production on oxisols in Malaysia
title_short Sustaining cocoa production on oxisols in Malaysia
title_sort sustaining cocoa production on oxisols in malaysia
url http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/47350/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/47350/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/47350/1/Sustaining%20Cocoa%20Production%20on.pdf