Preliminary study of above ground biomass (AGB) and stem volume of oil palm stands

Abstract

This preliminary study is a part of data collection for the development of the prediction model for the estimation of oil palm above ground biomass (AGB) and stem volume using remote sensing data. Oil palm agricultural tree crops have been extensively studied in the aspect of botanical and cultivation due to its socio-economic and commercial values. Malaysia is known as the world's top producers of palm oil with current planted area of plantations around 4.69 million ha. There is an abundance potential of biomass and renewable energy resources including oil palm in Malaysia. Oil palm residues are the major potential for power generation amounting to about 2400 mega watt. It has been acknowledged that renewable energy could be a key driver in maintaining the balance of economic development that would be anticipated to grow alongside the exponential rise of the global human population and climate change. Despite the importance of oil palm to the country, an accurate and reliable assessment method in resource availability is lacking. Therefore, the need for current inventory on oil palm biomass and stand volume leads this research into ground-based survey using the existing allometric equations. The objectives for this preliminary study are (1) to estimate AGB and stem volume of oil palm plantations of different ages and (2) to study the relationships between oil palm biomass and stem volume with the age of oil palm