The low productivity of oil palm in North Sumatra, Indonesia, is due to its generally low fertility, particularly in smallholder oil palm plantations with low maintenance levels. However, the use of three common weed species found in mature oil palm plantations as cover crops can improve soil fertility by determining the rate of decomposition and nutrient release from their litter. This study aimed to investigate the decomposition and nutrient release rates of three weed species as cover crops in mature oil palm plantations under unembedded and embedded conditions. This study consisted of six treatments designed using a non-factorial randomized block design with three replications. The results showed that the decomposition and nutrient release rates of the three weed species were different. Nephrolepis biserrata and Asystasia gangetica decomposed faster and released more nutrients after 90 days of decomposition compared to Paspalum conjugatum. The higher nutrient content of Nephrolepis biserrata and Asystasia gangetica compared to Paspalum conjugatum resulted in faster decomposition and nutrient release rates. In addition, the unembedded condition also causes the decomposition and release of nutrients from the litter of the three types of weeds to be faster.
decomposition rate; sustainable agriculture; nutrient release; weed
Asbur, Y., Purwaningrum, Y., Ariyanti, M., Siahaan, A., Muharry, FC. (2026): Litter decomposition rates of three weed species used as cover crops in oil palm plantations: Effects of unembedded and embedded conditions. Scientia Agriculturae Bohemica, 57, 1, DOI: 10.7160/sab.2026.570106