Reactions of Drought-Affected Oil Palm Variety Seedlings during the Nursery Phase: Bud and Root Responses

Drought has a major impact on oil palm on vegetative growth and productivity. Hence, the cultivation of drought-tolerant and efficient water use oil palm planting material becomes imperative to address this issue. FTSW method can show the soil and plant moisture condition based on the transpired water by crops. This study was structured using a Randomized Block Design, incorporating two factors - three levels of FTSW (Fraction of Transpirable Soil Water) and three different oil palm varieties. Its primary objective was to assess the plant’s reaction to drought-induced stress. The results showed that drought affected plant performance in terms of the number of leafs, root volume, and wet and dry weights of buds and roots. DxP Simalungun variety showed better performance than DxP PPKS 540 and DxP Langkat under drought stress conditions.