ABSTRACT
Improving the production of crops is always a concern in the plantation sector since higher production leads to the economic growth of a country. For developing countries, including Malaysia, one of their incomes is crop production. Focusing on crop nutrients supply using fertilizers to increase the production of the crops is better than expanding the plantation areas. The limited knowledge regarding the appropriate nutrients supply and the relation between the nutrients in Malaysia has caused the yield of the crops not meet expectations. Thus, sharing knowledge about the nutrient requirements and the nutrient availability toward the uptake rate of the plants are required. Hence, this work reviews the nutrient supply, the effect of each nutrient on the crop, and the nutrient availability in Malaysia’s plantation. A better understanding of the nutrient requirement to sustain crop health helps to improve the quality of the crop, its yield, and soil performance for future agriculture work. Moreover, this work also discusses the impact of fertilizer on the plantation and different types of fertilizer. Additionally, their nutrient release patterns will be discussed, along with the pros and cons of these existing fertilizers.
Abbreviations: ATP: Adenosine Triphosphate; SRF: Slow-release fertilizers; CRF: Controlled release fertilizer; SCU: Sulfur-coated urea fertilizer; PCU: Polymer-coated urea fertilizer; SRB: Slow release blending fertilizer; NUE: Nitrogen-use efficiency; AV: Ammonia volatilization; CRNF: Controlled release nitrogen fertilizer
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Curtin University Malaysia and Botanium Agro-Tech (M) Sdn. Bhd. for providing the financial supports for this research project.