Potential for developing an intercropping system on oil palm fields in peatlands

Abstract

Planting using a monoculture method is believed to impact the diversity of plant species on oil palm plantations, especially on peatlands, so the discourse on cultivating oil palm plantations using a polyculture system is to enrich species and avoid fears of environmental damage. It is necessary to conduct a study to determine the potential impact of an intercropping system between oil palm and other crops on the Land Equivalent Ratio (LER) value, intra and interspecific competition between plants, and reducing soil fertility. Data was obtained through a literature review and Forum Group Discussion (FGD) in a quadruple helix system comprising academia, farmer groups, district plantation services, and companies. Various literature studies showed that polyculture planting with an intercropping system reduces or inhibits palm oil production in peatland, but it can increase LER > 1.5. This is in line with the results of the FGD, which shows that planting using an intercropping system causes delays in palm oil production; consequently, the farmers and palm oil companies prefer monoculture planting. However, from the results of the FGD, a solution was obtained to overcome the above problems by arranging the planting distance when planting was planned, namely with a broader distance of 10 x 10 m or with a population of 100-110 plants per hectare, so that there is enough space to carry out intercropping and reduce competition. The results showed that polyculture planting with an intercropping system could also enrich plant species, apart from having the potential to increase LER > 1.5.