Oil palm agroforestry shows higher soil permanganate oxidizable carbon than monoculture plantations in Eastern Amazonia

Abstract

The expansion of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) cultivation in degraded areas has increased in the Brazilian Amazon. Cultivation of oil palm in diversified agroforestry systems may be a relatively sustainable alternative to monocultures for crop expansion. Here, we evaluated the effect of oil palm cultivation systems on soil C, an important indicator of the soil quality of production systems. We assessed:(1) whether these systems of oil palm cultivation alter the potassium permanganate oxidizable C content (POx-C) and the carbon management index (CMI); and (2) how the POx-C varied among management zones (harvest path, leaf pile, weeded circle, and diversified strip). The soil C indices of the oil palm cultivation systems were also compared with those of secondary forests. POx-C varied consistently based on the pattern agroforestry > secondary forest = monoculture, ranging from 0.95 ± 0.14 (agroforestry) to 0.66 ± 0.10 gÁkg À1 (monoculture). The POx-C pattern among management zones was pile > diversified strip = weeded circle > harvest path. The CMI was higher in agroforestry than in monoculture. We found that these indices are sensitive to land-use systems and management practices that affect organic matter input. Organic fertilization and species diversity likely drive the improvement of soil quality in agroforestry systems than in monocultures through C input to the soil directly and indirectly, by creating favorable conditions for the action of root and fauna that in turn positively affect soil C. Therefore, we postulate that soil quality improves through oil palm agroforestry than through oil palm monocultures.

¿La palma aceitera (Elaeis guineensis) genera un impacto negativo sobre el suelo? Una revisión

“…Al parecer, el sistema de manejo, principalmente la incorporación o mantenimiento de la MO, promueve la fertilidad y la biodiversidad del suelo. Por lo tanto, los autores sugieren que la palma de aceite integrada en un sistema agroforestal puede conducir a una sostenibilidad del cultivo (Gomes et al, 2021).…”

“…Estudios argumentan que la palma de aceite es una especie que para fines económicos no puede ser intercalada con otros cultivos de interés alimenticio, ya que, por su cobertura, la poca o nula luminosidad que llega a la superficie del suelo, no es suficiente para el crecimiento y desarrollo de otros cultivos (Lahmar & Ruellan, 2007). No obstante, experimentos demuestran que la palma puede combinarse con actividades agrícolas y forestales (Gomes et al, 2021). Investigadores han demostrado que como resultado del sistema agroforestal, se incrementa el ingreso familiar, se recuperan áreas degradadas y se reduce la emisión de gases de efecto invernadero (Santos da Silva et al, 2018).…”

Trap Engineering Against The Effectiveness of Caught Imago Rhinoceros Beetle on Palm Oil Plants

“…Rhinoceros beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae, Dynastinae) are the main pests in oil palm plantations (Hawkeswood & Sommung, 2019). The problem of rhinoceros beetle pests is getting serious with the use of empty bunches in the area of palm oil plants as mulch and substitutes for non-organic fertilizers (Gomes et al, 2021;Hamzah et al, 2019). The utilization of empty bunches is widely applied to the area of the plant that has not been produced and on the producing plant.…”

Soil physicochemical properties change by age of the oil palm crop

“…In addition, roots become entwined, causing soil compaction, nutrient competition, and strangulation of the crop roots [ [12] , [13] , [14] ]. However, it has been reported that oil palm included in an agroforestry system improves the physicochemical and biological properties of the soil, reduces carbon loss, and increases family income, among others [ 15 ]. Studies suggest that management practices applied to palm cultivation, such as the incorporation of crop residues (leaves, empty fruit clusters [EFB]), biofertilizers, low doses of fertilizers, cover crops, and vehicle reduction, among others, can be achieve a sustainable [ 8 , 9 , 16 ].…”