A Comparative study of Peat Soil Properties and Humification in Oil Palm Plantation and Forest Reserve at Pekan, Pahang
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Universiti Malaysia Sarawak
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The cultivation of oil palm plantation on tropical peatlands raises concerns on land use. To address these concerns, this study investigates the properties and humification degree of peat soil in both the oil palm plantation of Ladang Amanah Saham Pahang and Pekan Forest Reserve in Malaysia. Peat samples were collected from different depth of 0-50 and 50-100 cm at both sites. The samples were analysed for pH, electrical conductivity, moisture, elemental compositions, momentary carbon dioxide. The humification degree was assessed using CN ratio and Geographical Information System (GIS) was employed to map the spatial variation of peat characteristics. Pekan forest was found to have a high degree of humification as the CN ratio was reported as 20 ± 6 while the oil palm plantation was 35 ± 5. The forest peat was also characterised with high moisture (89 ± 1%) and pH (3.7 ± 0.1), but low electrical conductivity (179 ± 91 μS) as compared to the plantation with soil moisture (81 ± 4%), pH (3.3 ± 0.3) and electrical conductivity of 220 ± 51 μS. The results indicated that the plantation peat was more acidic and drier, along with higher salinity than the forest, likely due to the conventional usage of nitrogen fertiliser. Within the plantation, soil moisture and pH were found to increase with depth while electrical conductivity and nitrogen content decreased with depth. Such occurrence is likely due to the low humification of peat where peat structures are still intact to hold water within the pore spaces. Nitrogen is likely to leach out in water or being intensively harvested through oil palm growth. The GIS mapping indicated that the northern side of the plantation had a high CN ratio, suggesting low humification and less nutrient availability would require extra attention for nutrient supply. These findings highlight the significant influence of agricultural land use on peat properties, with notable differences between forest and plantation peat.