Mechanical weeding enhances ecosystem multifunctionality and profit in industrial oil palm

Abstract

Oil palm is the most productive oil crop, but its high productivity is associated with conventional management (that is, high fertilization rates and herbicide application), causing deleterious environmental impacts. Using a 22 factorial experiment, we assessed the effects of conventional vs reduced (equal to nutrients removed by fruit harvest) fertilization rates and herbicide vs mechanical weeding on ecosystem functions, biodiversity and profitability. Analysing across multiple ecosystem functions, mechanical weeding exhibited higher multifunctionality than herbicide treatment, although this effect was concealed when evaluating only for individual functions. Biodiversity was also enhanced, driven by 33% more plant species under mechanical weeding. Compared with conventional management, reduced fertilization and mechanical weeding increased profit by 12% and relative gross margin by 11% due to reductions in material costs, while attaining similar yields. Mechanical weeding with reduced, compensatory fertilization in mature oil palm plantations is a tenable management option for enhancing ecosystem multifunctionality and biodiversity and increasing profit, providing win–win situations.

Temporal variation in nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes from an oil palm plantation in Indonesia: An ecosystem‐scale analysis

“…Adequate plantation management including the optimization of the N fertilization regime are therefore crucial to reduce the plantations' global warming potential. In the same oil palm plantation, it was shown that reducing fertilizer inputs, combined with mechanical weeding, promote biodiversity, ecosystem multifunctionality, maintain high yield and increase profit as compared to the conventional high fertilizer inputs with herbicide application (Iddris et al, 2023).…”

“…The oil palm plantation is fertilized manually with “Pamafert” nitrogen‐phosphorus‐potassium granular (174.4 kg N, 47.6 kg P and 190.6 kg K ha −1 year −1 ), and dolomite (426 kg ha −1 year −1 , based on average soil pH of 5.6) in top‐dress application (Darras et al, 2019; Iddris et al, 2023; Meijide et al, 2020). According to the plantation owner, fertilization follows a defined routine and time schedule in which the plantation is divided into management micro‐divisions.…”

“…N 2 O emissions from agricultural systems such as oil palm, contribute considerably to the global N 2 O emissions (Ussiri & Lal, 2013). Given the high fertilization rates in industrial oil palm plantations (five times higher than smallholder oil palm plantations; Hassler et al, 2017; Iddris et al, 2023), and the current and predicted future land transformations related to oil palm expansion in tropical regions around the globe, it is crucial to determine oil palm N 2 O GHG exchange, biogeochemical, meteorological and environmental drivers of N 2 O, fluxes, as well as adaptation strategies to reduce N 2 O emissions. In our study, the combination of point‐scale chamber and ecosystem‐scale EC N 2 O flux measurements indicate that oil palms and its dynamic gas exchange with the atmosphere may play an important role.…”

“…Oil palm expansion affects ecosystem properties and functions such as biodiversity (Barnes et al, 2014), land surface temperature, (Sabajo et al, 2017), microclimate (Meijide et al, 2018), hydrology (Merten et al, 2016, 2020), carbon pools (Guillaume et al, 2015; Lamade & Bouillet, 2005; van Straaten et al, 2015) and greenhouse gas (GHG) balances (Kusin et al, 2017; Meijide et al, 2020). Economically effective oil palm management requires site‐specific knowledge of environmental factors and management practices to understand nutrient availability and distribution (Castanheira et al, 2014; Drewer et al, 2021; Iddris et al, 2023; Pardon, Bessou, Nelson, et al, 2016; Pardon, Bessou, Saint‐Geours, et al, 2016; Webb et al, 2011) and to reduce damage to the environment and climate. Deficits in soil nutrients are commonly compensated with fertilization, a common practice since oil palm requires large quantities of nitrogen (N), potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, and boron to generate economic profits (Woittiez et al, 2017).…”

Planting diversity begets multifaceted tree diversity in oil palm landscapes

“…has resulted in alarming losses of biodiversity and ecosystem functions 3–6 . Therefore, to safeguard multifaceted tropical diversity, it is imperative to prioritize the conservation of remaining forests 7 , improve conventional management practices 8 , and restore human-modified landscapes aiming at biodiversity-friendly habitats that can preserve tropical biodiversity outside of protected areas 9,10 .…”