Abstract
This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of slow-release urea fertilizer on sago palm (Metroxylon sagu Rottb.) using nitrogen (N) uptake and growth factors. A pot experiment using a 1:2 mixture of Philippine soil (Eutropepts) and sand was performed by applying two types of urea fertilizer, common and slowrelease (Meister 40), which are expected to release up to 80% of their nitrogen for 400 days at 20°C at 50 and 100 kg N ha-1. Three replications of each treatment were arranged in a completely randomized design. Two types of urea fertilizer were applied twice at 2 weeks and 12 months after transplanting. Regardless to the forms of urea, the application of 50 kg N ha-1 significantly increased palm height, compared to the control (without fertilizer) plot. However, the application of 100 kg N ha-1 did not produce a remarkable difference in palm height. In the first few months after the application of urea fertilizer, the common urea treatment showed significantly higher N uptake by sago palm, while, with the application of the slow-release type of urea fertilizer, the N uptake became observable at 6 months, suggesting that the slow-release type controlled the release of N from the fertilizer and regulated N uptake by sago palm. Therefore, it is concluded that a slow-release type of urea fertilizer could be an appropriate fertilizer to use in sago production to mitigate N losses in the growth environment of sago palm.
https://ror.org/00qg0kr10 
