Contribution of CO₂ emission from litter decomposition in an oil palm plantation on tropical peatland

Soil carbon dioxide (CO₂) emission consists of peat decomposition, root respiration, and litter decomposition. Although there are some publications on soil respiration in oil palm plantations, information of CO₂ emission from palm litter (frond) decomposition is still limited. Therefore, our objective was to estimate the CO₂ emission from frond decomposition in an oil palm plantation on tropical peat. The study was conducted in a smallholder oil palm plantation with two different cultivars (M and S) on peat in Jambi, Indonesia, using meshed litter bags of 40 cm x 80 cm. The temporal pattern of carbon loss was similar to that of dry weight loss, following a negative exponential. Annual carbon inputs through pruned fronds into the plantation were 189 and 281g C m⁻² year⁻¹, respectively, for M and S cultivars. Annual CO₂ emissions through oxidative frond decomposition were estimated to be 98 and 153 g C m⁻² year⁻¹ for M and S cultivars, respectively. The annual CO₂ emission from oil palm litter decomposition accounted for about 13% of soil heterotrophic respiration of oil palm plantations on tropical peatland.