Vegetative growth and leaf greenness of oil palm seedlings as affected by chicken manure and compost in Ultisol subsoil media

Dimas Prakoswo Widiyani (Department of Plantation Crop Cultivation, State Polytechnic of Lampung, Jl. Soekarno Hatta No. 10, Rajabasa, Bandar Lampung 35144, Lampung, Indonesia.)
Bela Ayu Pratiwi (Department of Plantation Crop Cultivation, State Polytechnic of Lampung, Jl. Soekarno Hatta No. 10, Rajabasa, Bandar Lampung 35144, Lampung, Indonesia.)
Tyas Dwi Chintya (Department of Plantation Crop Cultivation, State Polytechnic of Lampung, Jl. Soekarno Hatta No. 10, Rajabasa, Bandar Lampung 35144, Lampung, Indonesia.)
Husna Husna (Department of Plantation Crop Cultivation, State Polytechnic of Lampung, Jl. Soekarno Hatta No. 10, Rajabasa, Bandar Lampung 35144, Lampung, Indonesia.)
AH Maftuh Hafidh Zuhdi (Department of Plantation Crop Cultivation, State Polytechnic of Lampung, Jl. Soekarno Hatta No. 10, Rajabasa, Bandar Lampung 35144, Lampung, Indonesia.)
Anggia Fanesa (Department of Plantation Crop Cultivation, State Polytechnic of Lampung, Jl. Soekarno Hatta No. 10, Rajabasa, Bandar Lampung 35144, Lampung, Indonesia.)
Abdul Aziz (Department of Plantation Crop Cultivation, State Polytechnic of Lampung, Jl. Soekarno Hatta No. 10, Rajabasa, Bandar Lampung 35144, Lampung, Indonesia.)
Lely Juli Anti Siregar (Department of Plantation Crop Cultivation, State Polytechnic of Lampung, Jl. Soekarno Hatta No. 10, Rajabasa, Bandar Lampung 35144, Lampung, Indonesia.)

Agrovigor: Jurnal Agroekoteknologi
Vol 19, No 1 (2026)

Oil palm seedling growth is highly affected by the planting media. The planting media commonly used in oil palm nurseries are derived from subsoil, which has low fertility levels and therefore requires improvement through the addition of organic fertilizers. The application of compost and chicken manure has been shown to enhance the growth of oil palm plants by increasing macro and micronutrient availability, improving organic matter content, enhancing soil structure, and supporting microbial activity. This study aimed to determine the optimal planting medium combination for the growth of oil palm seedlings during the main nursery stage. The experiment was arranged in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with five treatments, namely: P0 = control (subsoil), P1 = 2:1 (subsoil + compost), P2 = 1:1 (subsoil + compost), P3 = 2:1 (subsoil + chicken manure), and P4 = 1:1 (subsoil + chicken manure). Each treatment was replicated four times, and the observed parameters included plant height, number of leaves, stem diameter, leaf greenness, and c-organic. The observed data were analyzed using an F-test, followed by a Least Significant Difference (LSD) test at the 5% significance level. The results showed that the addition of compost or chicken manure to the subsoil planting medium improved the growth of oil palm seedlings at the main nursery stage. The P4 treatment (subsoil + chicken manure at a 1:1 ratio) significantly improved plant height, number of leaves, stem diameter, and leaf greenness of oil palm seedlings, and produced the highest organic carbon content among treatments.