Soil physicochemical properties change by age of the oil palm crop
Marcos Pérez-Sato,
Ángel Gómez-Gutiérrez,
Fernando López-Valdez,
Fernando Ayala-Niño,
Eutiquio Soni-Guillermo,
Martín González-Graillet,
Hermes Pérez-Hernández
Affiliations
Marcos Pérez-Sato
Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Facultad de Ciencias Agrícolas y Pecuarias, Tlatlauquitepec, Puebla, 73900, Mexico
Ángel Gómez-Gutiérrez
Universidad de Ciencias y Artes de Chiapas, Huixtla, Chiapas, 30640, Mexico
Fernando López-Valdez
Agricultural Biotechnology Group. Research Centre for Applied Biotechnology (CIBA), Instituto Politécnico Nacional. Tepetitla de Lardizábal, Tlaxcala, 90700. Mexico
Fernando Ayala-Niño
Laboratorio de Edafología, UBIPRO, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Ciudad de México, Mexico
Eutiquio Soni-Guillermo
Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Facultad de Ciencias Agrícolas y Pecuarias, Tlatlauquitepec, Puebla, 73900, Mexico
Martín González-Graillet
Instituto de Estudios Superiores de la Sierra. Teziutlán, Puebla, 73965, Mexico
Hermes Pérez-Hernández
Departamento de Botánica. Universidad Autónoma Agraria Antonio Narro. Calzada Antonio Narro 1923, Buenavista, Saltillo, Coahuila, C.P, 25350, Mexico; Corresponding author.
For decades there have been controversies related to the changes generated by oil palm plantations in the physicochemical properties of the soil, soil biota, and ecological interactions. Therefore, the present investigation evaluated root diameter and biomass at three ages of oil palm cultivation. Besides, we evaluated the effect of the ages on the physicochemical parameters of the soil in comparison with pasture plots. To know the diameter, fresh, and dry biomass of roots, soil sampling was carried out around the oil palm (3-, 5-, and 15-years-old) at distances of 1, 2, and 3 m from the trunk plant. Also, to know the changes in the properties of the soil, the sampling was carried out randomly in the same plots and the pasture plot (control). The results showed that both the diameter and the fresh and dry root biomass increased in 15-year-old plantations compared with 3- and 5-year-old. In addition, correlation analysis and principal component analysis indicated that the parameters evaluated are associated with the adult age of the oil palm. Also, the results of soil physicochemical showed that low soil fertility was associated with an increase in the age of the palm.
