Carbon Sequestration Potential in a Ten Year Old Oil Palm under Irrigated Conditions

AbstractAside from the greenhouse gas reduction ability of palm oil-based biofuel as alternative to fossil fuels, another essential greenhouse gas mitigation ability of oil palm plantation is in terms of offsetting anthropogenic carbon emissions through carbon sequestration. In this context, this study was done to determine the carbon sequestration potential of oil palm plantations specifically in two areas in Mindanao, Philippines. Allometric equation was used in calculating the biomass of oil palm trunk. Furthermore, destructive methods were used to determine the biomass in other oil palm parts (fronds, leaves, and fruits). Carbon stocks from the other carbon pools in the oil palm plantations were measured which includes understory, litterfall, and soil. Results revealed that the average carbon stock in the oil palm plantations is 40.33 tC/ha. Majority of the carbon stock is found in the oil palm plant (53%), followed by soil (38%), litterfall (6%), and understory, (4%). The average carbon sequestration rate of oil palm plants is estimated to be 4.55 tC/ha/year. It is advised that oil palm expansions should be done on grasslands and barren lands instead of forest lands to avoid incurring “carbon debts”. It is also recommended that oil palms should be mixed with shrub crops species to enhance soil organic carbon as well as increase the aboveground biomass in oil palm plantations.

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Carbon Sequestration Potential of Oil Palm Plantations in Tamil Nadu Regimes, India

International Research Journal of Pure and Applied Chemistry ◽

10.9734/irjpac/2020/v21i1130220 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 7-17

Author(s):

S. S. Rakesh ◽

V. Davamani ◽

Sara P. B. Kamaludeen ◽

S. Maragatham ◽

A. Lakshmanan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Carbon Sequestration ◽

Oil Palm ◽

Tamil Nadu ◽

Elaeis Guineensis ◽

Anthropogenic Sources ◽

Perennial Crop ◽

Climatic Fluctuations ◽

Carbon Sequestration Potential ◽

Standard Procedures ◽

Sequestration Potential

Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis), being a potential carbon sequestering perennial crop by biological means, has helped in mitigating global warming and climatic fluctuations. In our study, we selected Tenera hybrids in three oil palm plantations of major oil palm growing regions of Theni and Thanjavur districts of Tamil Nadu, India during the year 2019. Carbon sequestration potential was assessed by the standard procedures and methodology. The present study revealed that carbon sequestration was higher in trunks, which was found to be 2.57 t C/ha (tons of carbon per hectare) in 4 years, 22.33 t C/ha in 8 years and 59.79 t C/ha in 15 years with respect to the age of plantation. The roots sequestered carbon for about 0.67 t C/ha in 4 years, 5.80 t C/ha in 8 years and 15.54 t C/ha in 15 years old plantations and the fronds sequesters about 1.41 t C/ha in 4 years, 2.44 t C/ha in 8 years and 3.01 t C/ha in 15 years old oil palm plantations. The findings evidenced that the biomass production in oil palm increased proportionally with different age group of oil palm. This findings established the importance of oil palm plantation for carbon sequestration to reduce natural as well as anthropogenic sources for climatic fluctuations.

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