Effect of nano-compost from oil palm waste enriched with ZnO and SiO2 nanoparticles on nursery growth of oil palm (Elaeis guieensis Jacq.)

Abstract

Oil palm nursery growth is constrained by low nutrient use efficiency and suboptimal growing media, while large amounts of oil palm industrial waste remain underutilized, necessitating the development of nanoparticle-enriched nano-compost as a sustainable fertilization strategy. This study evaluated the effects of nanoparticle-enriched nanocompost derived from oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) and solid decanter waste which enriched nanoparticles ZnO and SiO₂ on oil palm seedling growth in two soil types, Hapludult and Dystrudept. The experiment employed a factorial Randomized Block Design (RBD) with two factors: soil type (S₁ = Hapludult, S₂ = Dystrudept) and fertilization treatment (T₀ = Control (no treatment), T₁ = 100% NPK, T₂ = 100% nanoparticles enriched nanocompost (NEN), T₃ = 50% NPK+ 50% NEN, T₄ = 25% NPK+75% NEN). Results showed that both soil type and fertilization significantly affected all growth parameters. Interaction between soil type and fertilization treatment (p<0.05) significantly affected nutrient uptake, SPAD value, dry weight of plant, shoot and root. The best performance was observed in T₄ (25% NPK+75% NEN), which improved plant height, number of leaf sheaths, stem diameter, and length of the leaf sheaths compared to other treatments with an average increase of 20.7% compared to the control. Meanwhile, leaf area increased by 108.49% compared to the control. The growth performance of oil palm seedlings on hapludult soil was significantly higher (p<0.05) as 67.4% compared to Dystrudept soil. These findings highlight the potential of nano-compost derived from oil palm waste to enhance seedling growth while reducing chemical fertilizer dependence. Integrating nano-compost with NPK represents a promising strategy for sustainable nutrient management in oil palm nurseries. © 2025 The Author(s)