Tài liệu Growths and Carbon Stocks of Para Rubber Plantations on Phonpisai Soil Series in

RUBBER THAI JOURNAL 1:1-18 (2012)

Journal home page: www.rubberthai.com

Growths and Carbon Stocks of Para Rubber

Plantations on Phonpisai Soil Series in

Northeastern Thailand

Chakarn Saengruksawong

Soontorn Khamyong, Niwat Anongrak, Jitti Pinthong

Department of Plant Science and Natural Resources,

Faculty of Agriculture Institution: Chiang Mai University

ARTICLE INFO

Article history:

Revise: 1 January 2012

Revise: in revise

Presentation of IRRDB

Conference, 15-16

December 2011,

Chiangmai, Thailand

Accepted:

12 January 2012

Available online:

15 January 2012

Keywords:

carbon stock, rubber

growth, rubber

plantation, biomass,

Chakkarat soil series

ABSTRACT

Growths and carbon stocks in a series of para rubber

plantations on Chakkarat soil series in northeastern Thailand

were investigated including 1, 5, 10, 15 and 20 years old, and

a natural forest. Totally 15, 40 x 40 m sampling plots were

used for studying rubber growths, three plots per each aged

class plantation and one plot for the natural forest. In each

plot, stem girth at 1.3 m above ground, crown width and

height of trees were measured. One rubber tree having the

mean growth in each aged class plantation was cut and

separated to stem, branch, leaf and root biomass for making

allometry equations. Fifteen soil pits were made in each plot,

and soil samples were collected along soil profile. Soil

physical and chemical properties were analyzed in laboratory.

Rubber tree densities varied between 80-109 trees/rai

(1ha = 6.25 rai). Stem girth and height growths were

increased with the plantation ages. The growths were very

rapid for rubber trees having ages between 1 and 15 years old

and become slow for the older trees. The biomass amounts of

1, 5, 10, 15 and 20 years old plantations were in the order of

21.25, 55.24, 102.39, 140.50 and 215.39 Mg/ha. Ecosystem

carbon stocks in these plantations were increased with tree

ages as 26.29, 48.28, 76.62, 95.83 and 135.38 Mg/ha,

respectively. They involved two compartments; (1) biomass

carbon: 12.03, 31.45, 58.10, 79.78 and 122.01 Mg/ha; and (2)

soil carbon: 14.26, 16.83, 18.52, 16.05 and 13.37 Mg/ha. The

total carbon storage in natural forest was 134.62 Mg/ha;

124.20 Mg/ha in biomass and 10.42 Mg/ha in soil. The young

plantations had the high carbon percentages in soil and low in

biomass whereas carbon allocation in the older plantations

was higher in biomass and lower in soil system.

RUBBER THAI JOURNAL 1:1-18 (2012)

Journal home page: www.rubberthai.com

2

Introduction

Thailand is the world leading producer

and exporter of para rubber (herein called

rubber) with production capacity of 3.1 – 3.2

million tons per year, with 88-90 percent of

total production capacity exported to foreign

markets. The country also has high potential

for expanding production area and raising

production capacity. In year 2009, rubber

plantations in Thailand covered 2.70 million ha

across Thailand with the majority (2.10 million

ha) in the traditional areas in the southern (2.61

million ha) and eastern 14.68 million ha)

region and the remaining 0.60 million ha are

planted in new areas in the northeastern (0.45

million ha), northern (0.09 million ha) and

central (0.05 million ha) region.

The northeastern region of Thailand has

agricultural area of 15.90 million ha, of which

6.65 million ha are suitable for rubber

plantation. However, only 3.09 million ha,

have yield more than 1,562 kilogram per ha

per year and currently 0.45 million ha are

being used for rubber plantation. The

remaining 2.65 million ha, an area equal of

total area being for rubber production today, is

still available for additional rubber production.

Hence, northeastern region of Thailand will be

an important rubber production source for

Thailand in the future.

Global warming is a present problem and

spreading throughout the world, encouraging

all nations to take various measures to reduce

global warming under the KYOTO protocol.

The protocol is a part of the United Nations

Framework Convention on Climate Change

(UNFCC), enforced in 2005. Even if Thailand

is a non-annex 1 member country that can

reduce greenhouse gas emission through the

clean development mechanism, the appropriate

approach is to plant para rubber plantation in

place of deforestation in Thailand. Because

rubber trees have production life of 20 years,

the plantation can be considered as forest

plantation as rubber tress increase in biological

mass as they age and has high capacity for

carbon stock storage.

Development of northeastern region as

part of the country’s rubber production

source will need a study on environmental

affect on growth pattern in different areas of

the region, especially rainwater, humidity, soil

characteristic and rock formation. Different

soil qualities have strong affect to the debt of

water drainable, physical, chemical and

biological properties (Bowen & Nambiar,

1989; Fisher & Binkley, 2000). It will also

influence the amount of carbon stock stored in

different age group of rubber trees hence will

affect the environmental role of rubber

plantation and will be an important data for

better management at relevant organizations.

Nongkhai Province has plantation area of

724,590 ha with areas suitable for rubber

plantation of 340,606 ha. It is also the province

with most area used for rubber plantation in its

region, coving 102,051 ha and also has

remaining potential land use of 238,3994 ha.

Moreover, it is the first test province with pilot

plantation project by the Rubber Research

Institute of Thailand (RRIT) in year 1978,

giving it many test plantation aging from 1

year old to 20 years old. Investigation from the

Land Development Department shows that

most soil type found in the area is the

Phonpisai soil coveringin 153,410 ha. Studies

on the growth pattern, bio-productivity, and

carbon stock potential on Phonpisai soil type is

an interesting topic and will provide important

data for the development of management and

encouragement of appropriate rubber

plantation that give high yields and rehabilitate

the environment.

Methods

Research site

The research site is located in Rattanawapi

District and Phonpisai District, Nong Khai

Province. The site is located between latitude

17 degrees 52 minutes north and longitude 102

degrees 44 minutes east. The land elevation

from normal sea level sits between 161-200

meters with incline of 1-7%.

RUBBER THAI JOURNAL 1:1-18 (2012)

Journal home page: www.rubberthai.com

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Growth and biomass of rubber

Three samples are selected from five

different age groups of plantations including 1

year, 5 years, 10 years, 15 years and 20 years

old that are 40 x 40 square meters in size.

Growth studies are done by measurements of

the tree circumference at height of 130

centimeters from the ground as well as

measuring the total height of the tree itself.

Biomass measure for the tree in each age

group are determined by cutting trees with

similar size and height to the average tree in

each plantation, one for each age group.

Samples trees are then divided into trunk,

branch, leaves and roots for analysis between

biomass and D2

H to determine the carbon in

each part of the tree as well as the entire carbon

stock.

Growth of plant species and biomass in

referenced natural forest

Research samples are selected from

sample sites in natural forest of Phonpisai

District that are in close proximity to pilot

plantation. Natural forests in the area consist of

dipterocarp forest size of 40 x 40 square meters

measuring tree diameter at 130 centimeter

height as well as plant species with height of

over 1.50 meters. The quantitative calculations

of each plant species include the density,

important distinction and indicators.

Qualitative biodiversity data includes listing

names of plant species in the area in both

common and scientific names and calculation

the biomass of plant species with the following

formula Ogino et al. (1967)

WS (trunk) = 189 (D2

H)0.902

WB (branhc) = 0.125 WS

1.024

1/WL (leaves) = (1/WS

0.9) + 0.172

when W = biomass (kilograms per hectare)

D = diameter at 1.3 meters from ground

(meters)

H = tree height (meters)

Soil characteristics, carbon stocks and

nutrition

Soil studies affecting rubber and plant

species growth in sample plantations and

natural forests are conducted by digging for

three sample soils in plantations aged 1, 5, 10,

15 and 20 years old as well as one sample soil

in natural forests, totaling 16 dig sites. Each

dig sites are 1.5 meters wide, 2.0 meters long

and 1.2 meters deep. Studies and analysis on

soil characteristic are done by studying the

physical and chemical properties of the soil.

Physical properties studied includes (1) total

soil density of the soil through the core

method, (2) gravel quantity for size more than

2 mm by weighting method, and (3) particle￾size distribution and soil texture by

hydrometer method. Chemical property

studied includes (1) soil reaction by pH meter

method in ratio of 1:1 with water, (2) carbon

exchange capcity (CEC), (3) total nitrogen by

micro Kjedahl method, (4) organic matter and

carbon in soil by wet oxidation method of

Walkley and Black (Nelson and Sommers,

1982), (5) useful phosphorous concentration

by Bray II and colorimetric method, (6) useful

potassium level by extracting with ammonium

acetate 1N, pH 7.0 and measured by flame

photometer and (7) calcium and magnesium

concentration extracted with ammonium

acitate 1 N, pH 7.0 and measured by atomic

absorption tool. Calculations of carbon level in

soil from soil mass and carbon concentration

fluctuation in each soil level were also

conducted.

Results and Discussion

Growths

Growth of rubber consists of the diameter,

height and bush size which will differentiate

between age groups.

Table 1 shows the growth of rubber tree in

each age group. It is found that the density of

the rubber tree varies a little. The density of

age groups 1, 5, 10, 15 and 20 years old

averages at 78, 71, 79, 81 and 85 respectively.

The circumference of the tree increases as the

tree age. Trees aged 1, 5, 10, 15 and 20 years

old have average circumference of 8.23, 29.42,

36.76, 53.54 and 54.45 respectively. The

average heights are 6.49, 8.83, 11.98, 15.41

and 14.46 centimeter and bush sizes of 2.60,