Cultivation Age of Oil Palm Plants Alters the Dynamics of Immobilization, Recycling and Export of Sulfur and Increases its use Efficiency

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate sulfur (S) nutrition in oil palm organs as a function of plant age. The experiment was carried out in the commercial plantations of the company Agropalma S/A (Municipality of Tailândia, Pará State, Brazil) in a dystrophic Yellow Latosol. The experiment design was completely randomized with four replications and seven treatments: plant ages (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 years). The effects of treatments were evaluated in terms of concentration, accumulation, immobilization, recycling, export, and use efficiency of S in each plant organ. In the 8th year, the highest S concentration in the vegetative organs occurred in the cabbage (palm heart), while male inflorescence had higher S concentration in the 7th year in the reproductive organs. As plant age advanced, stipe and fruits were, respectively, the vegetative and reproductive organs that presented higher S accumulation. In older plants, S export occurs at higher amounts in the bunches. In oil palm, the immobilized and recycled quantity of S is higher than that exported. The use efficiency increased in the different organs of oil palm proportionally to the increase in plant age, while the S use efficiency in the rachis was 2630 times greater than that in the cabbage. In conclusion, oil palm plants change the nutritional demand as a function of age, increasing the S use efficiency and modifying the dynamics of immobilization, recycling, and export of S