Effect of Mucuna Bracteata DC. EX Kunz Establishment on Weed Diversity in Newly Planted Oil palm Plantation

• Main Author: Muhammad Shafi, Ibrahim
• Format: Final Year Project Report
• Language: English
• Published: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak 2014
• Subjects: S Agriculture (General); SB Plant culture
• Online Access: http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/30963/2/Effect%20of%20Mucuna%20Bracteata%20DC.%20EX%20Kunz%20Establishment%20on%20Weed%20Diversity%20in%20Newly%20Planted%20Oil%20palm%20Plantation%20%28fulltext%29.pdf; http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/30963/

The weed infestation may rise to aggressive competition with crop plants for space, water and nutrients, and shade the young crop plants. The establishment of leguminous cover crops (LCC) in oil palm plantation is common practice in Malaysia. Besides suppressing noxious weeds, it also improves soil fertility by fixing nitrogen. Muctma bracteata DC. ex Kunz is a recently used as LCC in oil palm plantation. The present study was conducted to determine the effect of M. bracteata on the diversity of weeds including the biomass and carbon stock determination. A hundred 1 m x 1 m quadrates were taken from newly planted Felda oil palm plantation areas with and without M. bracteata establishment in Lundu, Sarawak. Shannon-Weiner Diversity Index of areas without M. bracteata, (3.001) was higher than areas with M. bracteata establishment (1.087). Borreria latifolia was the most dominant species in areas without M. bracteata establishment (SDR = 0.104), while Mikania micrantha was the most dominant species in areas with M. bracteata establishment (SDR = 0.525). The estimated carbon stock per hectare was higher in areas without M. bracteata establishment (4.483 tonne ha"') than areas with M. bracteata establishment (2.515 tonne ha-').