4008 Advances in Environmental Biology, 6(12): 4008-4012, 2012 ISSN 1995-0756 This is a refereed journal and all articles are professionally screened and reviewed ORIGINAL ARTICLE Corresponding Author Nasruddin Hassan, School of Mathematical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 43600 UKM Bangi Selangor D.E., MALAYSIA E-mail: nas@ukm.my Goal Programming Formulation in Nutrient Management for Chilli Plantation in Sungai Buloh, Malaysia 1 Nasruddin Hassan, 2 Suhalia Safiai, 2 Nur Haryati Mohammad Raduan and 3 Zuraini Ayop 1 School of Mathematical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 43600 UKM Bangi Selangor D.E., MALAYSIA 2 Centre for Foundation Studies,Universiti Teknologi MARA, 42300, Bandar Puncak Alam, Selangor D.E., MALAYSIA 3 Faculty of Science and Biotechnology,Universiti Selangor, 45600 Bestari Jaya, Kuala Selangor, Selangor D.E., MALAYSIA Nasruddin Hassan, Suhalia Safiai, Nur Haryati Mohammad Raduan and Zuraini Ayop; Goal Programming Formulation in Nutrient Management for Chilli Plantation in Sungai Buloh, Malaysia ABSTRACT This paper presents a preemptive goal programming model for multi-objective nutrient management problem by determining the optimum fertilizer combination for chilli plantation in Sungai Buloh Malaysia. Application of nutrients to the soil is commonly done by using fertilizers. A fertilizer is said to be a complete or mixed fertilizer when it contains nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (N-P-K). A set of data have been used to test the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed model. Results of the model indicate that all objectives have been achieved. Moreover with the fertilizer combination, the current cost of fertilizer used for chilli plantation can be reduced. The flexibility of the model can be done by adjusting the goal priorities with respect to the importance of each objective. Key words: Goal programming; nutrient management; fertilizer combination. Introduction Chilli is a very popular and common spice found in green or dried ripe fruit of pungent form. It is an indispensable spice in every house in tropical countries. An understanding of soil chemical properties is important because of their effect on nutrient availability to plants. These properties may usually be favorably altered with the use of lime and/or fertilizer materials. Many plants need 18 elements for normal growth and completion of their life cycle. These elements are called the essential plant nutrients. Soil amendments containing the essential plant nutrients or having the effect of favorably changing the soil chemistry have been developed and used to enhance plant nutrition. Crop productivity measured in terms of responses to fertilizers can only be sustained if soil fertility levels are maintained to match with crops’ need and in a proper proportion [12]. Parr et al. [14] suggested that organic manure should be used in place of chemical fertilizer to avoid long-term negative effects of chemical fertilizer on the soil. However organic manure is usually required in large quantity to sustain crop production and may not be available to the small scale farmers as noted by Nyathi and Campbell [13], hence the need for inorganic fertilizer. The positive effect of the application of inorganic fertilizers on crop yields and yield improvement have been reported by Carsky and Iwuafor [1]. Nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) are referred to as primary or macronutrients. This is because they are required by the plant in large amounts relative to other nutrients and they are the nutrients most likely to be found limiting plant growth and development in soil systems. The fertilizer guaranteed analysis or grade, stated on the bag, refers to how much of an element is in the material (the guaranteed minimum quantity present) based on percentage by weight. All fertilizers are labeled with three numbers which give the percentage by weight of total nitrogen (N), citrate- soluble phosphorus (expressed as P2O5) and water- soluble potassium (expressed as K2O), respectively. Often, to simplify matters, these numbers are said to represent nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (N, P, and K). A fertilizer is said to be a complete or mixed fertilizer when it contains nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (the primary nutrients). Examples of commonly used complete fertilizers are 6-12-12, 10-