Journal of Oil Palm Research Vol. 4 No. 2 1992 Dec, p. 51-59
CARBON ASSIMILATION, RESPIRATION AND PRODUCTIVITY OF YOUNG OIL PALM (ELAIES GUINEENSIS)
Received: 29 June 1991
Standing dry matter, dry matter production, leaf area, leaf photosynthetic parameters, and dark respiration rates of main plant organs were measured for palms in the third year after planting on two adjacent sites (‘dry’ and ‘wet’) differing in ground water supply. The wet site had the higher productivity.
Gross assimilation of C02(GA) was obtained (i) from the sum of dry matter production (DMP) and total respiration (R); (ii) from DMP alone, assuming this to be 1/4 of GA; and (iii) as the output of a simulation model of canopy photosynthesis. All three methods resulted in similar GA values, but some adjustment of light interception parameter values was needed to obtain realistic model output.
Respiration was partitioned into growth and maintenance components and general carbon budgets were constructed for the two sites.
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* Palm Oil Research Institute of Malaysia,
P O Box 10620,
50720 Kuala Lumpur