Tree-scale spatial variability of soil carbon cycling in a mature oil palm plantation

Goodrick, I.; Nelson, Paul N.; Nake, Steven; Webb, Michael J.; Bird, Michael I.; Huth, Neil

doi:10.1071/sr15211

Cited by 8 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…These management practises lead to characteristic management zones with specific factors affecting SOC dynamics ( Figure 1a). With plantation ageing, the heterogeneity of SOC distribution increases, depending on the distance to the tree, the presence of frond piles, and fertilizer applications (Frazão, Paustian, Pellegrino Cerri, & Cerri, 2013;Goodrick et al, 2015). Carbon and nutrients cycling are, thus, highly heterogeneous, leading to a variable SOC equilibrium depending on management practices.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Drivers of soil carbon stabilization in oil palm plantations

et al. 2019

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Increasing soil organic carbon (SOC) in agroecosystems is necessary to mitigate climate change and soil degradation. Management practices designed to reach this goal call for a deeper understanding of the processes and drivers of soil carbon input stabilization. We identified main drivers of SOC stabilization in oil palm plantations using the well‐defined spatial patterns of nutrients and litter application resulting from the usual management scheme. The stabilization of oil palm‐derived SOC (OP‐SOC) was quantified by δ13C from a shift of C4 (savanna) to C3 (oil palm) vegetations. Soil organic carbon stocks under frond piles were 20% and 22% higher compared with harvest paths and interzones, respectively. Fertilization and frond stacking did not influence the decomposition of savanna‐derived SOC. Depending on management zones, net OP‐SOC stabilization equalled 16–27% of the fine root biomass accumulated for 9 years. This fraction was similar between frond piles and litter‐free interzones, where mineral NPK fertilization is identical, indicating that carbon inputs from dead fronds did not stabilize in SOC. A path analysis confirmed that the OP‐SOC distribution was largely explained by the distribution of oil palm fine roots, which itself depended on management practices. SOC mineralization was proportional to SOC content and was independent on phosphorus availability. We conclude that SOC stabilization was driven by C inputs from fine roots and was independent of alteration of SOC mineralization due to management. Practices favouring root growth of oil palms would increase carbon sequestration in soils without necessarily relying on the limited supply of organic residues.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Drivers of soil carbon stabilization in oil palm plantations

et al. 2019

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“…Temporal variability in carbon and nitrogen cycling processes is mostly related to the large input of organic matter at the end of the cycle and presence of legume cover crop at the start of the cycle. Spatial variability is largely due to placement of pruned fronds into concentrated stacks, root distribution, weeding and placement of mill by-products (Haron et al, 1998;Nelson et al, 2014;Carron et al, 2016;Goodrick et al, 2016).…”

Section: Carbon Modelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modelling environmental impacts of agriculture, focusing on oil palm

Nelson¹,

Huth²,

Sheaves³

et al. 2018

Burleigh Dodds Series in Agricultural Science

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Introduction 2 Characteristics of models and the system 3 Integrated environmental impact modelling approaches 4 Modelling impacts of cultivation on components of the environment 5 Modelling causal processes 6 Conclusions and research directions 7 Where to look for further information 8 References Chapter taken from: Rival, A. (ed.), Achieving sustainable cultivation of oil palm Volume 2: Diseases, pests, quality and sustainability,

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“…Fine-scale spatial differences in soil properties are common in OP plantations due to the distribution of litter and other crop residue inputs as well as fertilizer within plantations (Nelson et al, 2014;Rüegg et al, 2019). This non-random distribution of nutrient resources within plantations should be considered when assessments of soil properties and processes are attempted (Goodrick et al, 2016;Nelson et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fine‐scale spatial differences in soil properties are common in OP plantations due to the distribution of litter and other crop residue inputs as well as fertilizer within plantations (Nelson et al, 2014 ; Rüegg et al, 2019 ). This non‐random distribution of nutrient resources within plantations should be considered when assessments of soil properties and processes are attempted (Goodrick et al, 2016 ; Nelson et al, 2015 ). With time, the addition of carbon and nutrient crop residue inputs as well as fertilizers in certain areas of the plantation creates management zones that become visually recognizable in mature plantations of around 6–8 years.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deforestation‐free land‐use change and organic matter‐centered management improve the C footprint of oil palm expansion

Quezada

Guillaume

Poeplau

et al. 2022

Global Change Biology

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In recent decades, mounting evidence has indicated that the expansion of oil palm (OP) plantations at the expense of tropical forest has had a far pernicious effect on ecosystem aspects. While various deforestation-free strategies have been proposed to enhance OP sustainability, field-based evidence still need to be consolidated, in particular with respect to savanna regions where OP expansion has recently occurred and that present large area with potential for OP cultivation. Here we show that the common management practice creating within the plantation the so-called management zones explained nearly five times more variability of soil biogeochemical properties than the savanna land-use change per se. We also found that clayey-soil savanna conversion into OP increased total ecosystem C stocks by 40 ± 13 Mg C ha −1 during a full OP cultivation cycle, which was due to the higher OP-derived C accumulated in the biomass and in the soil as compared to the loss of savanna-derived C. In addition, application of organic residues in specific management zones enhanced the accumulation of soil organic carbon by up to 1.9 Mg ha −1 year −1 over the full cycle. Within plantation, zones subjected to organic amendments sustained similar soil microbial activity as in neighboring savannas. Our findings represent an empirical proof-of-concept that the conversion of non-forested land in parallel with organic matter-oriented management strategies can enhance OP agroecosystems C sink capacity while promoting microbe-mediated soil functioning. Nonetheless, savannas are unique and threatened ecosystems that support a vast biodiversity. Therefore, we suggest to give priority attention to conservation of natural savannas and direct more research toward the impacts of the conversion and subsequent management of degraded savannas.

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Tree-scale spatial variability of soil carbon cycling in a mature oil palm plantation

Cited by 8 publications

References 41 publications

Drivers of soil carbon stabilization in oil palm plantations

Drivers of soil carbon stabilization in oil palm plantations

Modelling environmental impacts of agriculture, focusing on oil palm

Deforestation‐free land‐use change and organic matter‐centered management improve the C footprint of oil palm expansion

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