Potassium fertilization affects oil palm fruit metabolism but has little effect on mesocarp lipid accumulation.

Potassium fertilization is commonly practiced in oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) plantations to increase yield. However, its effects on fruit oil content and composition are not well documented. Here, we conducted bunch, metabolomics, and oil composition analyses in two contrasting crosses (Deli x La Me and Deli x Yangambi) grown under different K fertilization conditions. K availability impacted bunch oil content, resulting in lower water content and higher oil proportion in fruit mesocarp, in Deli x La Me only, thus showing differential responses of crosses to K. Oil composition at maturity did not significantly change under low K conditions despite clear alterations in fruit metabolism associated with lipid production during maturation, demonstrating the resilience of oil biosynthetic metabolism. However, the analysis of variance in oil content (across K treatments and crosses) demonstrates that sugar availability, lipid synthesis rates, and metabolic recycling are all important in determining the oil content.