Pardon, Lénaïc, Huth, Neil, Nelson, Paul, Banabas, Murom, Gabrielle, Benoît, and Bessou, Cécile (2017) Yield and nitrogen losses in oil palm plantations: main drivers and management trade-offs determined using simulation. Field Crops Research, 210. pp. 20-32.

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Abstract

Oil palm cultivation has environmental impacts, including those associated with nitrogen (N) losses. Improving management practices to optimise yield and N losses is critical. In order to identify the key management and site parameters driving yield and N losses, over a 25-year cycle, we undertook a Morris’s sensitivity analysis of the Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator oil palm model (APSIM-Oil palm), using 3 sites in Papua New Guinea. We selected 12 parameters and 3 outputs: yield, nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions and N leaching. The influence of the 12 parameters on the outputs depended on site characteristics, age of the palms, and climate. The most influential parameters for losses were N mineral fertiliser rate, drainage and fraction of legume in groundcover vegetation. The simulations suggested that APSIM-Oil palm is a useful tool for assessing management options for optimising yield and environmental outcomes in different environments. The results can also guide future measurements needed to improve N loss estimates, and further development of models and risk indicators.

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