A RECORD OF NON-STOP 21 MONTHS OF HARVESTING It’s All About Fertilization

Soon Pik Loong is one of the most active durian farmers in fertilizing his trees. He manages a 50 acre of durian orchard in Sg. Chetang, Pahang. Soon Pik Loong has long produced the Musang King durian variety for the local and foreign markets. He mainly cultivates D24 variety which accounts for 60% of the orchard while the remaining 40% is the Musang King (D197) variety. No matter what variety it is, the most important part of cultivation for him is to fertilization. He will apply 20 tonnes of fertilizers before flower buds begin to appear. Durian trees begin to flower in March and the fruits ripen by June. Following that, another harvesting season would take place in September.

It is common for all his trees to simultaneously flower at the same time. Previously, he had set a record of harvesting durians continuously for 21 months in a span of 2 years. He believes the success of such a grand scale harvest is due to proper fertilization. However, there is nothing secret in his fertilization practice. He only applies fertilizer based on the growth stage ofSO, this indicates that it contains 50% of potassium and 18% of sulphur. When it comes to potassium, many farmers know that this macronutrient very important for the growth of fruits. The potassium content in the soil is generally low and is unable to meet the needs of commercial crops as they require potassium to complete important functions such as the formation of starch and sugar (sweetness is the most important marketing point for all crops), protein synthesis such as activating enzyme reactions and regulating water flow in cells and leaves. Potassium sulphate is a good source of plant nutrients. The K in KSO, is no different from other common potassium fertilizers.