The potential of Nephrolepis biserrata fern as ground cover vegetation in oil palm plantation

Abstract

Abstract. Satriawan H, Fuady Z, Ernawita. 2021. The potential of Nephrolepis biserrata fern as ground cover vegetation in oil palm plantation. Biodiversitas 22: 4808-4817. Nuisance plants or weeds are commonly found in agricultural landscapes including in oil palm plantations. Despite being considered as weeds, several of them have the potential to be used as ground cover vegetation including Nephrolepis biserrata (Sw). Schott. This fern species exhibits beneficial characteristic as ground cover plant especially in terms of the contribution of organic matter and soil moisture through the prevention of evapotranspiration. The objective of this research is to explore the potential of N.biserrata as ground cover vegetation in oil palm plantations based on the assessment of its ecological characteristics regarding the growth and decomposition rate, tolerance to shade, organic contents and carbon accumulation. The split plot experimental design was used with the age of oil palm plants was used as main plot while in the sub-plots the spacing of N. biserrata was used at three varying distances 10x10cm, 20x20 cm, and 30x30 cm, each treatment had three replicates. Nine parameters observed were the percentage of growth, the percentage of ground cover, plant height, fronds number per plant, leaves number per plant, Leaf Area Index, dry weight (g), nutrient content in plant tissue, and potential carbon stock. Results showed that N. biserrata showed rapid growth in covering the ground surface (8-12 weeks after planting), had rapid decomposition rate (30-60 days), tolerant to shading which was characterized by the highest percentage of growth up to 81.16% and covering area up to 95.9%, accumulated organic contents of N (1.23-1.53%), P (0.18-0.22%), and K (1.4-1.67%), respectively. In addition, total dry weight biomass obtained was 27.1 ton/ha, accumulated carbon in plant of 0.9 tons C/ha/year, and amount of soil carbon stock 76.4-97.4 tonnes/ha/year. The results of this study suggest that Nephrolepis biserrata is a potential plant to be utilized as a ground cover plant in oil palm plantations.

Characteristic of the material deposits, microclimate profile, epiphyte abundance, and bacteria populations in the above-ground ecosystem of oil palm

“…Furthermore, Nephrolepis bisserata was the dominant species, where the material deposit had a higher C/N ratio and a more humid environment (Figure 11). Unlike other fern species, it is more tolerant of less fertile growing mediums, as previously described by Saharizan et al (2021) and Satriawan et al (2021).…”

Exploring Soil Fertility Variations Under Nephrolepis Biserrata In Multi-Soil Type Of Oil Palm Plantations

“…N. biserrata be able to accumulate nitrogen (N) nutrients at 1.23-1.53%, phosphorus (P) at 0.18-0.22%, and potassium (K) at 1.4-1.67% with a total dry biomass of 27.1 tons/ha, carbon (C) accumulation of 0.9 tons/ha/year, and soil carbon stocks between 76.4 -97.4 tons/ha/year (Satriawan et al, 2021). Saputra et al (2023) revealed that the plant density of N. biserrata has a significant impact on the percentage of coverage and the dry weight of oil palm roots, where a denser density produces better microclimate conditions compared to medium or low density.…”

Diversity and ecology of Pteridophytes in Cendil heath forest and Gurok Beraye tropical rainforest, Belitung Island, Indonesia

“…Several types of pteridophytes can be used as food, traditional medicines, handicrafts, and ornamental plants (Suryana et al 2018). In forest ecosystems, pteridophytes play a role in protecting the soil from erosion, maintaining moisture of the understory vegetation layer, being a litter mixer for the formation of soil nutrients, producers in the food chain, and habitat for some animals (Ridianingsih et al 2017;Satriawan et al 2021). Pteridophytes can also be used as indicators of ecosystem quality and environmental changes (Silva et al 2018) since they have cosmopolitan nature, good adaptation to various environments, and can grow in any area without being introduced or cultivated.…”