Quantifying total carbon stock of mature oil palm

Elisa Rumpang, . and Kho Lip Khoon, . and Norman Kamarudin, . and Mohd Haniff Harun, . Quantifying total carbon stock of mature oil palm. pp. 521-527. ISSN 1511-2780

The carbon stock of oil palm is an important indicator of environmental and agronomical impact of oil palm. Measuring variations in oil palm biomass with age geographical region and plantation management are necessary to accurately predict carbon stock across ecosystems. However quantification of total carbon stock for mature oil palms is not well described. Here we determined above- and below-ground biomass of mature palms planted on mineral soil in Sarawak Malaysia using both destructive and non-destructive methods. Based on allometric equations older palms constitute a greater total carbon stock with the largest contributions from trunks and roots. Total carbon stocks assessed per the non-destructive method were 50.7 Mg C ha 44.4 Mg C ha and 72.1 Mg C ha in 11-year old 21-year old and 29-year old palms respectively. Our results show that trunk biomass increases with the age of palms. Root biomass was substantially higher in older palms. Using the destructive method total carbon stock of the 21-year old palms was approximately 51.3 Mg C ha. Differences between the two methods may be attributed to unaccounted palm components using the non-destructive method. The inclusion of unaccounted palm components such as spears cabbage and trunk bole would increase total carbon stock of 21-year old palms to approximately 48.0 Mg C ha. This suggests that the non-destructive method may effectively estimate carbon stock given specific corrections and assumptions. This study demonstrates a field applicable approach for quantifying the total carbon stock of oil palm to assess the impact of oil palm plantation on the ecosystem carbon balance.

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Abstract

The carbon stock of oil palm is an important indicator of environmental and agronomical impact of oil palm. Measuring variations in oil palm biomass with age geographical region and plantation management are necessary to accurately predict carbon stock across ecosystems. However quantification of total carbon stock for mature oil palms is not well described. Here we determined above- and below-ground biomass of mature palms planted on mineral soil in Sarawak Malaysia using both destructive and non-destructive methods. Based on allometric equations older palms constitute a greater total carbon stock with the largest contributions from trunks and roots. Total carbon stocks assessed per the non-destructive method were 50.7 Mg C ha 44.4 Mg C ha and 72.1 Mg C ha in 11-year old 21-year old and 29-year old palms respectively. Our results show that trunk biomass increases with the age of palms. Root biomass was substantially higher in older palms. Using the destructive method total carbon stock of the 21-year old palms was approximately 51.3 Mg C ha. Differences between the two methods may be attributed to unaccounted palm components using the non-destructive method. The inclusion of unaccounted palm components such as spears cabbage and trunk bole would increase total carbon stock of 21-year old palms to approximately 48.0 Mg C ha. This suggests that the non-destructive method may effectively estimate carbon stock given specific corrections and assumptions. This study demonstrates a field applicable approach for quantifying the total carbon stock of oil palm to assess the impact of oil palm plantation on the ecosystem carbon balance.

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Item Type:	Article
AGROVOC Term:	Elaeis guineensis
AGROVOC Term:	Oil palm
AGROVOC Term:	Oil crops
AGROVOC Term:	Plantations
AGROVOC Term:	Plant analysis
AGROVOC Term:	Tree trunks
AGROVOC Term:	Leaf
AGROVOC Term:	Roots
AGROVOC Term:	Planting density
AGROVOC Term:	Biomass
Depositing User:	Mr. AFANDI ABDUL MALEK
Last Modified:	24 Apr 2025 00:54
URI:	http://webagris.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/8688

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