Journal of Oil Palm Research Vol. 11 No. 2, December 1999, p. 63-71
QUANTIFICATION OF OIL PALM BIOMASS AND NUTRIENT VALUE IN A MATURE PLANTATION. II. BELOW-GROUND BIOMASS
The below-ground biomass of oil palm in a mature plantation was sampled and its nutrient contents and values estimated. Root biomass in this study was quantified by using core sampling and excavation method. The estimated root biomass amounted to about 16 t ha-1 and the below-ground portions of trunk contributed little to the nutrient content of the stand. The total nutrient stocks from root biomass projected on per hectare basis were 65 kg N, 8 kg P, 128 kg K, 15 kg Mg and 12 kg Ca, in terms of monetary value worth about RM 278 ha-1. The results show that oil palm roots provide significant amounts of nutrient which can be recycled in the plantation ecosystem at replanting.
KEYWORDS:* Palm Oil Research Institute of Malaysia,
P.O. Box 10620,
50720 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
** Department of Biological Sciences,
University of Exeter, U.K.