Detecting Potassium Mediated Drought Responses in Oil Palm (Elaeis Guineensis): an Isotopic Study on Frond Bases
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Detecting potassium mediated drought responses in oil palm (Elaeis guineensis): an isotopic study on frond bases MSc Thesis Plant Production Systems Eva Meijers April 2019 Detecting potassium mediated drought responses in oil palm (Elaeis guineensis): an isotopic study on frond bases MSc Thesis Plant Production Systems Eva Meijers Registration number 931905569070 MSc Plant Sciences - Natural Resource Management Plant Production Systems PPS-80436 April 2019 Supervised by dr. ir. Maja Slingerland, dr. Lotte Woittiez, prof. dr. Pieter Zuidema Examined by dr.ir.ing. Tom Schut Disclaimer This thesis report is part of an education program and hence might still contain (minor) inaccuracies and errors. Correct citation Meijers, A.C.E. (2019). Detecting potassium mediated drought responses in oil palm (Elaeis guineensis): an isotopic study on frond bases. MSc Thesis Wageningen University. Plant Production Systems Contact [email protected] for access to data, models and scripts used for the analysis DETECTING POTASSIUM MEDIATED DROUGHT RESPONSES IN OIL PALM (Elaeis guineensis): AN ISOTOPIC STUDY ON FROND BASES MSC THESIS MSc. Eva Meijers Registration number 931905569070 Plant Production Systems Natural Resource Management Wageningen University 6708 PB Wageningen Supervised by dr. ir. Maja Slingerland, dr. Lotte Woittiez, prof. dr. Pieter Zuidema July 14, 2019 ABSTRACT Oil palm is currently the most important vegetable oil crop though increasingly suffering from droughts as a result of anthropogenic global warming ( 1). The mechanisms behind the witnessed yield losses upon these droughts remain poorly understood. Stomatal closure is a known primary drought response in plants, however, it has not previously been closely investigated in oil palm. In dicotyldons, carbon isotope analysis is commonly used for retro-spective analysis of stomatal conductance during a specific moment in the past however having difficulties with sub-annual resolution. In this pilot study, the drought response of the tropical commodity crop oil palm was investigated by an carbon isotope analysis. A novel approach was proposed to overcome the current lack of sub-annual resolution and indistinctive annual rings by using physiological traits of the crop. The usability of frond bases for carbon isotopes analysis as an analogue for annual tree rings was tested by matching the time series with climate data. Herein, the isotopic signature of a severe drought was sought and analysed in respect to the involvement of K+. The results of this study did not follow the expected isotope pattern where a peak in isotopes was anticipated during the drought period. Suggestions were made that this was due to utilization of non-structural carbohydrates, alternative whole-wood components, timing of the hardening of the frond bases, exhausts of a close by mill or local decomposition and respiration rates. The isotope analysis did reveal a response to hydrological conditions, where higher soil water content coincided with increased discrimination against the heavier carbon isotope. This study found 6% lower yields in the drier areas due to an El Nino event, though general yields were comparable between the hydrological conditions. The earlier found precipitation threshold of oil palms of 100 mm month−1 was supported by the yield numbers in this study. Potassium revealed its importance during the drought response, though its role was found detrimental to the palms here which could not be explained. Higher levels of K+ in the drier areas were suggested to be due to higher levels of reactive oxygen species production in response to the drought which in turn might have stimulated more uptake of K+. Keywords Carbon isotope analysis · palm oil production · drought response · potassium · stomatal conductance MSc Thesis Eva Meijers - July 14, 2019 Disclaimer This thesis report is part of an education program and hence might still contain (minor) inaccuracies and errors. Contact offi[email protected] and/or [email protected] for access to data, models and scripts used for the analysis. Citation Meijers, A.C.E. (2019). Detecting potassium mediated drought responses in oil palm (Elaeis guineensis): an isotopic study on frond bases. MSc Thesis Wageningen University. Plant Production Systems. Acknowledgments I wish to express my sincere gratitude to dr. ir. Maja Slingerland, dr. Lotte Woittiez and prof. dr. Pieter Zuidema for providing me with the opportunity to conduct and guiding me in my MSc thesis under their supervision. I would like to especially thank Lip Kho Khoon for the honour of making this project possible by collaborating with Wageningen University. I thank Stewart Daging and Nicolas Bayang for the assistance during the conducted field work in Malaysia. I am very grateful for all the support I’ve gotten and the inclusion into the local team by mr. Chua, Shiwen, Ellen, Chai Lin, Ivan, Ong, Sante, Lily and all the other amazing staff at SOPB. I would like to thank my colleagues Malte Lessmann, Willem Hekman, Rob van den Beuken, and Gayan Preusterink for helping me with programming in R and using LaTeX. I would like to show gratitude for all the help that I received during the necessary laboratory work from Ellen Wilderink, Hennie, Arnoud Boom and Jan van Walsem. Lastly, I want to thank my housemates Xanthe and Maxwell, as well as my beloved Malte, for their support and feedback throughout this project. 2 MSc Thesis Eva Meijers - July 14, 2019 Contents 1 Introduction 9 1.1 General . 9 1.2 Background . 9 1.2.1 Carbon fractionation in plants . 9 1.2.2 Oil palm and production . 11 1.2.3 Drought response in oil palm . 11 1.2.4 The role of potassium (K+) in drought responses . 12 1.2.5 Studying drought responses in oil palm using isotopes from frond bases . 12 1.2.6 Aim of this research . 13 1.2.7 Research questions . 14 2 Methodology 15 2.1 Site description . 15 2.2 Experimental set-up . 15 2.2.1 Hydrological conditions and block selection within Lambir Estate . 15 2.2.2 Palm selection . 16 2.2.3 Frond base tissue selection . 16 2.3 Plant measurements . 18 2.4 Collection of soil- and plant nutrient data . 19 2.5 Calculations on δ13C........................................... 19 2.6 Chronology building . 19 2.7 Data analysis . 20 3 Results 22 3.1 Part I: Detecting drought responses using carbon isotopes . 22 3.1.1 Intra-annual variation in isotopes . 22 3.1.2 Isotopic response to drought and precipitation . 23 3.1.3 Influence of hydrological condition on isotopic ratios . 24 3.2 Part II: Yield loss and hydrological conditions analysis . 27 3.2.1 Yield response to precipitation . 27 3.2.2 Difference in yield response between hydrological conditions . 27 3.2.3 Role of K+ during drought . 28 3.2.4 Other predictors of yield loss due to drought . 29 4 Discussion 30 4.1 Part I: Detecting drought responses using carbon isotopes . 30 4.1.1 Intra-annual variation in isotopes . 30 4.1.2 Isotopic response to drought and precipitation . 30 4.1.3 Influence of hydrological conditions on isotope ratios . 31 3 MSc Thesis Eva Meijers - July 14, 2019 4.1.4 Causes of isotopic signal distortion . 31 4.1.5 Limitations of study design on isotope measurements . 33 4.1.6 Involvement of K+ during drought . 34 4.1.7 Involvement of P during drought . 34 4.2 Part II Yield loss and hydrological condition analysis . 34 4.2.1 Yield response to precipitation . 34 4.2.2 Difference in yield response between hydrological conditions . 35 4.2.3 Role of K+ during drought . 35 4.2.4 Other predictors of yield loss due to drought . 36 4.3 Part III Link isotope and yield analysis . 38 5 Concluding remarks 38 6 Recommendations for further research 39 7 Appendices 46 7.1 In depth role of K+ ............................................ 46 7.2 Maps Estate Lambir 2 (SOPB) . 47 7.3 Environment of chosen palms . 48 7.4 Appendix Used Sampling Protocol at Sarawak Oil Palm Berhad, Lambir Estate . 50 7.5 Intra-specific correlation of δ13C palms and inclusion into chronology . 52 7.6 Explanation Difference in Rachis K+ .................................. 53 7.7 Predicting δ13C.............................................. 54 7.8 Results from single linear regression Yield loss . 55 7.9 Residual plots multiple linear regression: isotopes and yield loss . 56 7.10 Observed discrimination and Ci/Ca ................................... 57 7.11 Individual match with precipitation . 59 7.12 Elevation effect and isotopes . 60 7.13 Collinearity with K+ ........................................... 61 4 MSc Thesis Eva Meijers - July 14, 2019 Table 1: Abbreviations used throughout thesis Abbreviation Meaning CEC Cation Exchange Capacity CPO Crude Palm Oil ENSO El Niño-Southern Oscillation K+ Potassium LAI Leaf Area Index MPOB Malaysian Palm Oil Board NSC Non-structural Carbohydrate PDB Pee Dee Belemnite rock SOC Soil Organic Carbon SOPB Sarawak Oil Palm Berhad VPD Vapour Pressure Deficit YAP Years after planting δ13C Carbon isotope composition relative to the PDB standard ∆ Carbon isotope discrimination by the leaf (or others) 5 MSc Thesis Eva Meijers - July 14, 2019 List of Tables 1 Abbreviations used throughout thesis . 5 2 Magnitude of fractionations and processes influencing isotopic signatures. ∆ represents the change in isotopic composition induced by the plant. References shown are the ones used in this study. 10 3 Years After Planting (YAP) and frond opening in oil palm . 13 4 Pearson’ r values of fitting a linear model with precipitation (applied lag times from -3 until +3 months) and δ13C of chronologies. In bold significant correlations. Highest correlations were used for testing the proposed method. 23 5 Top ten predictor variables of δ13C of data from Lambir 2 (SOPB). Ordered in accordance to decreasing R Squared value (here only r value shown). Three hydrological conditions are shown: Combined (N=17), no-swamp (N=8) and swamp (N=9).