Weeds diversity in oil palm plantation at Segamat, Johor

Abstract

This research was conducted to study weeds composition and diversity with regards to management practices at three oil palm plantations in Segamat, Johor. Using nested quadrat sampling approach, a total of 19 families, 35 genera, 43 species and 4465 number of individuals of weeds species were found and recorded from the three plantations. The Shannon diversity index, H’ was 3.45 whereas the Evenness index, EH for the overall weeds species was 0.92. The highest weed diversity was observed at Kg. Sri Rahmat oil palm plantation (H’=3.11) located at the lowest elevation with the least herbicide application and pruning practices followed by Kg. Logah (H’=3.07) and Felda Medoi (H’=2.83). The overall species evenness for this study area was 0.92 indicating that the species distribution was relatively high in monoculture system. At Kg. Logah, the species evenness was almost totally even (EH=0.98) followed by Kg. Sri Rahmat (EH=0.97) and Felda Medoi (EH=0.93). Both family Poaceae and Rubiaceae contributed to the highest species richness within the study area. Therefore, the composition and diversity of weeds recorded from this research was relatively high. There were several factors that could potentially affect the weeds diversity such as farming system, age oil palm plantation, pruning treatment (canopy), management through usage of herbicide, type and usage of fertilizer and location of oil palm plantation based on different elevations. This study is essential for sustaining oil palm production through successful weed control using diversity data and management histories as an indicator.

Weed communities of field crops in the Newly Reclaimed lands of Suez Canal region, Egypt

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

“…Besides the land conversion problem, the expansion of oil palm also causes the widespread of weeds with some of them being invasive alien species. Studies have reported up to 60 species of plants categorized as weeds in oil palm plantations such as Asystasia gangetica, Clidemia hirta, Dyrnaria cordata, Imperata cylindrica, Trema cannabina, and Oxalis barrelieri (Ali et al 2021;Norlindawati et al 2019). While considered as a nuisance, weeds in oil palm plantations can serve as cover crops that provide various ecological functions, including reducing the speed of runoff water, preventing soil erosion and nitrogen leaching, improving soil organic matter, prohibiting the presence of other weeds through competition and reducing soilborne pathogens (Kanders et al 2017;Larkin et al 2015;Liu et al 2021;Wen et al 2017).…”