Tropical peat soil research in Sarawak

Uyo L.J., . (2007) Tropical peat soil research in Sarawak. [Proceedings Paper]

Peat which covers some 1.648 million hectares or 13 percent of the land area of 12.4 million hectares of Sarawak is very important soil resource for the State. This is because land suitable for conventional commercial agriculture is very limited at only 26 of the land area of Sarawak. The rest of the land area of the State comprises problem soils such as steepland soils 58 potential acid sulphate soils 1 and soil with very low fertility. Peat was for a long time considered unsuitable for agricultural use because of some very serious limitations to crop growth that includes high water table very low bulk density that limits mechanization very low soil fertility very low bearing capasity very high permeability high acidity and micro-nutrients deficiencies. Research into the use of peat soils in the last 50 years mostly in Semananjung Malaysia however has found it is possible to overcome these limitations and use even very deep peat for oil palm. Some planters using the accepted industry recommendation in Sarawak however have recently reported that not all their oil palm estates in deep peat are yielding equally well. This suggests that deep peat soils of Sarawak are not all the same and should not be treated in exactly the same manner. This paper discusses the issues concerning RandD in deep peat in Sarawak and suggests that the use of a Peat Research Station may not be the best way of carrying out RandD in deep peat. Most of the recent RandD findings on deep peat were made by the Soils Management Branch of the Department of Agriculture through its soil survey work that includes leveling to datermine the surface topography of peat swamps. Among the recent discoveries on peat soils of Sarawak are the presence of a vacant layer in the top 40-60 cm of some peat profiles; that peat under oil palm has lower GHG emissions than undeveloped peat soil; the discovery of nitrogen fixing bacteria in sago palm roots and the existence of at least three types of tropical deep peat with different morphological physical and chemical properties. These differences also have a direct bearing on the suitability utilization and management of the soils for agricultural development. The paper concludes that future RandD on peat will only bear results with a multi-disciplinary approach that should also include soil surveyors. The paper also mentions a few areas that need to be looked into. This includes the physical and chemical differences between the different types of deep peat soils; the variability of subsidence of peat upon development and factors affecting the variability; performance of crops in the different types of peat soils; the role of the different types or peat soils as a carbon sink under oil palm and the management parameters needed to enable tropical peats to act as carbon sink. Other areas that also should be looked into is the microbial diversity in peat soils and the long term drainability of peat swamps as this affects how long the peat swamps can be used for agricultural development.

Full text available from:

Abstract

Peat which covers some 1.648 million hectares or 13 percent of the land area of 12.4 million hectares of Sarawak is very important soil resource for the State. This is because land suitable for conventional commercial agriculture is very limited at only 26 of the land area of Sarawak. The rest of the land area of the State comprises problem soils such as steepland soils 58 potential acid sulphate soils 1 and soil with very low fertility. Peat was for a long time considered unsuitable for agricultural use because of some very serious limitations to crop growth that includes high water table very low bulk density that limits mechanization very low soil fertility very low bearing capasity very high permeability high acidity and micro-nutrients deficiencies. Research into the use of peat soils in the last 50 years mostly in Semananjung Malaysia however has found it is possible to overcome these limitations and use even very deep peat for oil palm. Some planters using the accepted industry recommendation in Sarawak however have recently reported that not all their oil palm estates in deep peat are yielding equally well. This suggests that deep peat soils of Sarawak are not all the same and should not be treated in exactly the same manner. This paper discusses the issues concerning RandD in deep peat in Sarawak and suggests that the use of a Peat Research Station may not be the best way of carrying out RandD in deep peat. Most of the recent RandD findings on deep peat were made by the Soils Management Branch of the Department of Agriculture through its soil survey work that includes leveling to datermine the surface topography of peat swamps. Among the recent discoveries on peat soils of Sarawak are the presence of a vacant layer in the top 40-60 cm of some peat profiles; that peat under oil palm has lower GHG emissions than undeveloped peat soil; the discovery of nitrogen fixing bacteria in sago palm roots and the existence of at least three types of tropical deep peat with different morphological physical and chemical properties. These differences also have a direct bearing on the suitability utilization and management of the soils for agricultural development. The paper concludes that future RandD on peat will only bear results with a multi-disciplinary approach that should also include soil surveyors. The paper also mentions a few areas that need to be looked into. This includes the physical and chemical differences between the different types of deep peat soils; the variability of subsidence of peat upon development and factors affecting the variability; performance of crops in the different types of peat soils; the role of the different types or peat soils as a carbon sink under oil palm and the management parameters needed to enable tropical peats to act as carbon sink. Other areas that also should be looked into is the microbial diversity in peat soils and the long term drainability of peat swamps as this affects how long the peat swamps can be used for agricultural development.

[error in script]

Item Type:	Proceedings Paper
Additional Information:	Available at Perpustakaan Sultan Abdul Samad Universiti Putra Malaysia 43400 UPM Serdang Selangor Malaysia. mal S590.2 S683 2007 Call Number
AGROVOC Term:	PEAT SOILS
AGROVOC Term:	SOIL MANAGEMENT
AGROVOC Term:	RESEARCH
AGROVOC Term:	LAND MANAGEMENT
AGROVOC Term:	MALAYSIA
Geographical Term:	MALAYSIA
Depositing User:	Ms. Suzila Mohamad Kasim
Last Modified:	24 Apr 2025 05:13
URI:	http://webagris.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/10858

Actions (login required)

View Item