Effect of an oil palm plantation on a tropical forest soil in South Western Nigeria
1994
Aweto, A.O. (University of Ibadan (Nigeria). Dept. of Geography)
The study evaluates the effect of a 16-year old oil palm plantation a forest soil in south-western Nigeria by comparing the characteristics of soil under the agro-ecosystem with that under natural forest. Soil organic matter, total nitrogen, and exchangeable magnesium and potassium were significantly lower in the 0-10 and 10-20 cm layer of the soil under the oil palm plantation. Organic matter decline under oil palm plantation indicates that the rate of humus decomposition in plantation soil is greater than that of humus addition through litter decomposition. The decline in the nutrients in the soil under oil palm plantations is mainly due to leaching losses, nutrient immobilisation in the standing biomass of palm trees, nutrient loss from the plantation via harvested palm fruits and a destabilisation of the nutrient cycle in the oil palm plantation due to loss of biodiversity. Soil fertilization is crucial to the long-term productivity of oil palm plantations. Measure to minimise loss of biodiversity in monocultural tree plantations are discussed
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