Reducing Fertilizer and Avoiding Herbicides in Oil Palm Plantations—Ecological and Economic Valuations
Oil palm plantations are intensively managed agricultural systems that increasingly dominate certain tropical regions. Oil palm monocultures have been criticized because of their reduced biodiversity compared to the forests they historically replaced, and because of their negative impact on soils, w...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2019-11-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Forests and Global Change |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/ffgc.2019.00065/full |
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| author | Kevin F. A. Darras Marife D. Corre Greta Formaglio Aiyen Tjoa Anton Potapov Anton Potapov Fabian Brambach Kibrom T. Sibhatu Ingo Grass Ingo Grass Andres Angulo Rubiano Andres Angulo Rubiano Damayanti Buchori Jochen Drescher Riko Fardiansah Dirk Hölscher Bambang Irawan Thomas Kneib Valentyna Krashevska Alena Krause Holger Kreft Kevin Li Mark Maraun Andrea Polle Andrea Polle Aisjah R. Ryadin Aisjah R. Ryadin Katja Rembold Katja Rembold Christian Stiegler Stefan Scheu Stefan Scheu Suria Tarigan Alejandra Valdés-Uribe Supri Yadi Teja Tscharntke Edzo Veldkamp |
| author_facet | Kevin F. A. Darras Marife D. Corre Greta Formaglio Aiyen Tjoa Anton Potapov Anton Potapov Fabian Brambach Kibrom T. Sibhatu Ingo Grass Ingo Grass Andres Angulo Rubiano Andres Angulo Rubiano Damayanti Buchori Jochen Drescher Riko Fardiansah Dirk Hölscher Bambang Irawan Thomas Kneib Valentyna Krashevska Alena Krause Holger Kreft Kevin Li Mark Maraun Andrea Polle Andrea Polle Aisjah R. Ryadin Aisjah R. Ryadin Katja Rembold Katja Rembold Christian Stiegler Stefan Scheu Stefan Scheu Suria Tarigan Alejandra Valdés-Uribe Supri Yadi Teja Tscharntke Edzo Veldkamp |
| author_sort | Kevin F. A. Darras |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Oil palm plantations are intensively managed agricultural systems that increasingly dominate certain tropical regions. Oil palm monocultures have been criticized because of their reduced biodiversity compared to the forests they historically replaced, and because of their negative impact on soils, water, and climate. We experimentally test whether less intensive management schemes may enhance biodiversity and lessen detrimental effects on the environment while maintaining high yields. We compare reduced vs. conventional fertilization, as well as mechanical vs. chemical weed control (with herbicides) in a long-term, full-factorial, multidisciplinary experiment. We conducted the experiment in an oil palm company estate in Sumatra, Indonesia, and report the results of the first 2 years. We measured soil nutrients and functions, surveyed above- and below-ground organisms, tracked oil palm condition and productivity, and calculated plantation gross margins. Plants, aboveground arthropods, and belowground animals were positively affected by mechanical vs. chemical weed control, but we could not detect effects on birds and bats. There were no detectable negative effects of reduced fertilization or mechanical weeding on oil palm yields, fine roots, or leaf area index. Also, we could not detect detrimental effects of the reduced fertilization and mechanical weeding on soil nutrients and functions (mineral nitrogen, bulk density, and litter decomposition), but water infiltration and base saturation tended to be higher under mechanical weeding, while soil moisture, and microbial biomass varied with treatment. Economic performance, measured as gross margins, was higher under reduced fertilization. There might be a delayed response of oil palm to the different management schemes applied, so results of future years may confirm whether this is a sustainable management strategy. Nevertheless, the initial effects of the experiment are encouraging to consider less intensive management practices as economically and ecologically viable options for oil palm plantations. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T06:36:58Z |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2624-893X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T06:36:58Z |
| publishDate | 2019-11-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| series | Frontiers in Forests and Global Change |
| spelling | doaj.art-db9851bbb89e4ad183212f8c140a0c182022-12-22T01:58:55ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Forests and Global Change2624-893X2019-11-01210.3389/ffgc.2019.00065461543Reducing Fertilizer and Avoiding Herbicides in Oil Palm Plantations—Ecological and Economic ValuationsKevin F. A. Darras0Marife D. Corre1Greta Formaglio2Aiyen Tjoa3Anton Potapov4Anton Potapov5Fabian Brambach6Kibrom T. Sibhatu7Ingo Grass8Ingo Grass9Andres Angulo Rubiano10Andres Angulo Rubiano11Damayanti Buchori12Jochen Drescher13Riko Fardiansah14Dirk Hölscher15Bambang Irawan16Thomas Kneib17Valentyna Krashevska18Alena Krause19Holger Kreft20Kevin Li21Mark Maraun22Andrea Polle23Andrea Polle24Aisjah R. Ryadin25Aisjah R. Ryadin26Katja Rembold27Katja Rembold28Christian Stiegler29Stefan Scheu30Stefan Scheu31Suria Tarigan32Alejandra Valdés-Uribe33Supri Yadi34Teja Tscharntke35Edzo Veldkamp36Agroecology, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, GermanySoil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, GermanySoil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, GermanyAgriculture Faculty, Tadulako University, Palu, IndonesiaDepartment of Animal Ecology, J. F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, GermanyA. N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, RussiaBiodiversity, Macroecology and Biogeography, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, GermanyDepartment of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, GermanyAgroecology, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, GermanyDepartment of Ecology of Tropical Agricultural Systems, Institute of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, GermanyAgroecology, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, GermanyBiodiversity, Macroecology and Biogeography, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, GermanyDepartment of Plant Protection, IPB University, Bogor, IndonesiaDepartment of Animal Ecology, J. F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany0Collaborative Research Centre 990, University of Jambi, Jambi, Indonesia1Tropical Silviculture and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany2Forestry Faculty, University of Jambi, Jambi, Indonesia3Chair of Statistics, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, GermanyDepartment of Animal Ecology, J. F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, GermanyDepartment of Animal Ecology, J. F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, GermanyBiodiversity, Macroecology and Biogeography, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, GermanyAgroecology, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, GermanyDepartment of Animal Ecology, J. F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany4Forest Botany and Tree Physiology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany5Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany4Forest Botany and Tree Physiology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany6Agriculture Faculty, Khairun University, Ternate, IndonesiaBiodiversity, Macroecology and Biogeography, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany7Botanical Garden of the University of Bern, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland8Bioclimatology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, GermanyDepartment of Animal Ecology, J. F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany5Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany9Department of Soil Sciences and Land Resources Management, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia1Tropical Silviculture and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, GermanyDepartment of Plant Protection, IPB University, Bogor, IndonesiaAgroecology, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, GermanySoil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, GermanyOil palm plantations are intensively managed agricultural systems that increasingly dominate certain tropical regions. Oil palm monocultures have been criticized because of their reduced biodiversity compared to the forests they historically replaced, and because of their negative impact on soils, water, and climate. We experimentally test whether less intensive management schemes may enhance biodiversity and lessen detrimental effects on the environment while maintaining high yields. We compare reduced vs. conventional fertilization, as well as mechanical vs. chemical weed control (with herbicides) in a long-term, full-factorial, multidisciplinary experiment. We conducted the experiment in an oil palm company estate in Sumatra, Indonesia, and report the results of the first 2 years. We measured soil nutrients and functions, surveyed above- and below-ground organisms, tracked oil palm condition and productivity, and calculated plantation gross margins. Plants, aboveground arthropods, and belowground animals were positively affected by mechanical vs. chemical weed control, but we could not detect effects on birds and bats. There were no detectable negative effects of reduced fertilization or mechanical weeding on oil palm yields, fine roots, or leaf area index. Also, we could not detect detrimental effects of the reduced fertilization and mechanical weeding on soil nutrients and functions (mineral nitrogen, bulk density, and litter decomposition), but water infiltration and base saturation tended to be higher under mechanical weeding, while soil moisture, and microbial biomass varied with treatment. Economic performance, measured as gross margins, was higher under reduced fertilization. There might be a delayed response of oil palm to the different management schemes applied, so results of future years may confirm whether this is a sustainable management strategy. Nevertheless, the initial effects of the experiment are encouraging to consider less intensive management practices as economically and ecologically viable options for oil palm plantations.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/ffgc.2019.00065/fullfertilizerweedingland use changeoil palmgross marginbiodiversity |
| spellingShingle | Kevin F. A. Darras Marife D. Corre Greta Formaglio Aiyen Tjoa Anton Potapov Anton Potapov Fabian Brambach Kibrom T. Sibhatu Ingo Grass Ingo Grass Andres Angulo Rubiano Andres Angulo Rubiano Damayanti Buchori Jochen Drescher Riko Fardiansah Dirk Hölscher Bambang Irawan Thomas Kneib Valentyna Krashevska Alena Krause Holger Kreft Kevin Li Mark Maraun Andrea Polle Andrea Polle Aisjah R. Ryadin Aisjah R. Ryadin Katja Rembold Katja Rembold Christian Stiegler Stefan Scheu Stefan Scheu Suria Tarigan Alejandra Valdés-Uribe Supri Yadi Teja Tscharntke Edzo Veldkamp Reducing Fertilizer and Avoiding Herbicides in Oil Palm Plantations—Ecological and Economic Valuations Frontiers in Forests and Global Change fertilizer weeding land use change oil palm gross margin biodiversity |
| title | Reducing Fertilizer and Avoiding Herbicides in Oil Palm Plantations—Ecological and Economic Valuations |
| title_full | Reducing Fertilizer and Avoiding Herbicides in Oil Palm Plantations—Ecological and Economic Valuations |
| title_fullStr | Reducing Fertilizer and Avoiding Herbicides in Oil Palm Plantations—Ecological and Economic Valuations |
| title_full_unstemmed | Reducing Fertilizer and Avoiding Herbicides in Oil Palm Plantations—Ecological and Economic Valuations |
| title_short | Reducing Fertilizer and Avoiding Herbicides in Oil Palm Plantations—Ecological and Economic Valuations |
| title_sort | reducing fertilizer and avoiding herbicides in oil palm plantations ecological and economic valuations |
| topic | fertilizer weeding land use change oil palm gross margin biodiversity |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/ffgc.2019.00065/full |
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