Indonesian Plantation Research Articles

Economy and environmental impacts of oil palm plantation expansion in Mamuju Tengah district, West Sulawesi Province, Indonesia

The expansion of oil palm plantations in Indonesia has led to massive land conversion. At present palm oil in West Sulawesi is the largest oil palm plantations in eastern Indonesia, the development of oil palm which is so rapidly affected by the level of income received by the community when farming oil palm compared to developing other types of plantations such as rubber, coconut, or other types of plantation crops. The growing development of oil palm plantations today is feared to affect biodiversity, which results in changes in the environmental ecosystem in West Sulawesi, especially in Central Mamuju District. Changes in the environmental ecosystem can cause conflicts between humans and animals as a result of the reduced natural habitat of animals, which is the impact of oil palm plantations. This article will explore the environmental and economic impacts arising from oil palm expansion in Central Mamuju Regency, West Sulawesi Province. This research was conducted with a descriptive method to describe the impact of plantation expansion in the Central Mamuju Regency. The results of the study show that there was a change in the environmental ecosystem in the Middle Mamuju Kapubapaten, which resulted in conflicts between humans and animals. As for the economic impact, there was an increase in farmer’s income.

Physical and mechanical properties of lightweight concrete with the addition of crude palm oil production wastes

The increased area of oil palm plantations in Indonesia followed by increased production and amount of palm oil waste. One of the waste products of palm oil produced from the process of purifying Crude Palm Oil (CPO) is Spent Bleaching Earth (SBE). This research will utilize SBE waste as sand substitution material in concrete manufacture. The addition of natural fiber from the Empty Fruit Bunches (EFB) in the manufacture of concrete is expected to increase the mechanical strength of concrete that meets the SNI requirements. The process of making concrete begins by mixing all ingredients, stirring, moulding, compacting manual, and curing for 28 days. Concrete making is done by substituting SBE by 10%, 30%, and 50% based on sand weight, and fiber by 2%, 4%, and 6% based on sample volume. The results showed that the substitution of 28.98% SBE for sand weight, and 5.95% EFB based on Light Weight Concrete (LWC) volume, produced concrete with the best properties.

Polemik Masyarakat Riau Dan Pemerintah Provinsi Riau Terhadap Perkembangan Kelapa Sawit Di Provinsi Riau

The increasing world demand for palm oil (CPO) has caused the governmentto continue expanding palm oil plantations. Riau is the province with the largest oil palmplantation in Indonesia. The area of oil palm plantations in Indonesia is 13.5 million ha,of which 2.9 million ha are in riau.1 This certainly has an impact for the people in Riauprovince. One positive impact for the people of Riau with the development of oil palmplantations is the increase in income and the opening of employment. The negative impactis that the expansion is done by burning and cutting down the forest, whose effect isremarkable. As happened in the year 2014, when massive forest fires committed in Riauprovince resulted in excessive smoke pollution. The smoke effects are not only felt in Riauarea but also other regions and even neighboring countries also feel the impact of thisforest burning. From the pollution of the smoke is a lot of losses felt by the community,ranging from the many people who contracted the disease ARI, can not leave the house,school, or work, all access outside the area of land, sea or air covered by the thick smokethat menggagga visibility, all of which lead to disadvantage of the community, such aseducation sector to economic sector.

A Selected Stenotaphrum secundatum as Superior Shade Tolerant Forage Resource

<p class="awabstrak2">The obstacle in planting and developing forage plants is limited land. One solution to anticipate this is to utilize land in plantations by introducing forage shade-tolerant among the main crops. The area of oil palm plantations in Indonesia reaches 14,677,560 ha potentially used in the integration system. This article outlines the superiority of <em>Stenotaphrum secundatum</em> from the selection results so that the reader gets comprehensive information about this grass, both in terms of production, nutritional quality and digestibility. <em>Stenotaphrum secundatum</em> selection’s variety grass is a forage shade tolerant that had derived by positive mass selection method which had had been tried it’s adaptability at two different elevation in North Sumatra. This grass is very suitable to be integrated in plantation land. The average fresh yield of <em>S. secundatum</em> at 55 and 75% shading level reached 2,386 and 2,001 g/m2/harvest, respectively. The digestibility of Steno grass selection’s result on growing Boerka goat shows a fairly good value, which ranges from 60.7% to 72.8%. Palatability of <em>S. secundatum</em> grass in goats is very good with consumption reaching 3.6% of body weight. <em>S. secundatum</em> grass, besides being tolerant of shade, is also resistant to pests, as long as it is maintained with good management. The crossing of polyploid Steno grass with diploid has produced drought tolerant varieties. This grass also has advantages in terms of dry matter production, nutrient content and crude protein production compared to other grass species and can be planted in wider plantation areas with 55-75% shade.</p>

Dynamics of Rural Economy: A Socio-Economic Understanding of Oil Palm Expansion and Landscape Changes in East Kalimantan, Indonesia

The fast-growing palm oil economy has stimulated a significant expansion of oil palm plantations in Indonesia. The uncontrolled development of large oil palm plantations has raised complex socio-ecological issues, including changes of ecological landscapes, organization of production, and farming household livelihood systems. For two oil palm villages with different ecological settings, this article describes changes in land cover, how production is organized, and the income structure changes due to rural economic development. The research used survey approaches and analysis of earth maps, assisted by data obtained from satellite imagery. A qualitative approach was also used to support a survey via in-depth interviews. The research was carried out in two oil palm economy-based villages of Kutai Kartanegara District, of the Province of East Kalimantan of Indonesia. The first village is located very close to the center of regional administration and has evolved into a non-farming economy. In contrast, the other village is more isolated and solely relies on farming activities. The study found that changes of land cover caused by oil palm expansion could be categorized into two types, concentrated and spotted, following the influence of oil palm investment activities. It was also found that organization of the production of most smallholders existed in two types of arrangements, partial and total integration of production. From the perspective of livelihood, two different types of income structures emerged, diversified and uniform. This article concludes that responses of smallholders to palm oil spread varied depending on the ecological setting, the existence of the already established plantation economy in the region, the capacity of the smallholders to diversify economic activities based on palm oil, and the exposure to external economic activities.

Pyrethroid residues on tropical soil of an Indonesian tea plantation: analytical method development, monitoring, and risk assessment

Despite their massive application in tea plantation, synthetic pyrethroids had never been detected in tropical soils of tea plantation thus their risk has never been assessed. This research reported the detection of synthetic pyrethroids in tea plantation and assessed their aquatic ecotoxicological risk. A simplified analytical method based on the application of a miniaturized sample, solvent, and efficient ultra-sonic assisted extraction was developed for the determination of pyrethroids in the soil. The method was validated with the result of all parameters (recovery, % relative standard deviations, linearity, limit of detection (LoD), and matrix effect) met the acceptance limits suggested by European Commission guideline, thus deemed acceptable for the assessment of pyrethroids in tropical soil of tea plantation during the wet and dry season. Of the five synthetic pyrethroids, only permethrin was detected in both wet and dry seasons (< LoD – 0.36 μg g− 1), whereas deltamethrin was detected only in wet season (< LoD – 0.12 μg g− 1). Scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry and X-ray diffraction revealed that the soil constituted by various soil minerals made permethrin more likely to persist than deltamethrin. Aquatic ecotoxicological risk assessment was performed on the basis of comparison between the maximum equilibrium concentration expected in water (ECEWmax) value and lethal concentration (LC50) of pyrethroids exposure for aquatic species (algae, crustacean, and fish) inhabiting the Upper Citarum River. The ECEWmax value for the present condition was lower than LC50 for all examined species, indicating that the high-level contamination in the future should have posed a high risk for all aquatic species based on their LC50.

Analisis pengaruh inflasi, kurs dan produksi terhadap ekspor tembakau di Indonesia

This study was conducted to see the contribution of tobacco exports to the total exports of the Indonesian plantation sub-sector for the period 2000 – 2018 and to see the effect of inflation, exchange rates, and growth of Indonesian tobacco production on Indonesian tobacco exports for the period 2000 – 2018. The type of research used to analyze the data in this study is descriptive quantitative. This study uses multiple linear regression analysis based on Ordinary Least Square (OLS). Based on the results of the regression calculation of the development of each variable, namely inflation, exchange rates and production growth, it is obtained by these three variables that growth fluctuates throughout the research period which can be caused by economic conditions or can be caused by the influence between variables. Keywords: Export volume, Inflation, Exchange rates, Production growth

An investigation of selected properties of teak wood from 9-year-old plantation forest in Indonesia

An investigation of selected properties of teak wood from 9-year-old plantation in Indonesia. Teak (Tectona grandis L.f) listed in standard EN 13556:2003 (code TEGR) is known as the most popular species in tropical countries, especially in Indonesia. It has not only good qualities in physical properties and mechanical properties, but it also has an aesthetics pattern. The best teak wood is usually more than 80 years old. It is too long a period of time and cannot fulfil the current wood demand. To fulfil the increasing demand, researchers in Indonesia have developed short rotation teak wood. However, the quality of this wood is rather low. The objectives of this study were to obtain complete information about mechanical, physical and acoustic properties of 9-year-old teak wood, to compare its properties with conventional teak wood and to evaluate the optimal utilization of 9 years-old teak wood based on its properties.

Isolasi, identifikasi dan karakterisasi penyebab penyakit bercak daun pada semai pinus di perum perhutani BKPH Purworejo, KPH Kedu Selatan

Pinus merkusii, a multiuse tree, is cultivated at Indonesian Plantation. Pinus plantation have been threatened by rust/spot leaf disease. The pathogen has infected pinus seedlings at Perum Perhutani, BKPH Purworejo, KPH Kedu Selatan and cause high mortality. The aims of this research to identify pathogen causing rust/spot leaf thus information how to control can be observed. Pathogens were isolated from infected leaves, and grown on the potato dextrose agar (PDA) and observed macroscopis and microscopis and identified. The pathogens also were inoculated to healthy seedlings (Postulat Koch Test). The result shows that pathogen causing rust/spot leaf on seedlings pine is Pestalotia sp with characteristic white colony, hypha has aservuli with conidia that have 25 septums and at the edge, some structure looks like feather whipped 3-5. Potulat Koch test indicated that inoculated healthy seedling shows similar symptom with infected seedlings. Rust/spot leaf has similar sympto and sign. Spot or rust appear on leaves started from edge and spread to base. At first, spots were formed in small size and separate each other but they developed and became larger and wider and fused.

Variation in Vegetation and Ecosystem Carbon Stock Due to the Conversion of Disturbed Forest to Oil Palm Plantation in Peruvian Amazonia

Peruvian national and regional plans promoting oil palm have prompted a rapid expansion of the crop in the Amazonian region. This expansion has taken place primarily at the expense of forest, both undisturbed and disturbed. Assessments of carbon emissions from forest-to-oil palm conversion have essentially been confined to Southeast Asia, and research on Peruvian Amazonian forests has mainly targeted undisturbed sites. This study characterizes the vegetation structure and composition of disturbed forests and smallholder oil palm plantations and evaluates the change in ecosystem (that is, phytomass and soil) carbon stocks associated with forest-to-oil palm conversion. Inventories were conducted in four degraded forest sites neighboring six oil palm plantation sites in Ucayali. Time-averaged carbon stocks over the 30-year oil palm rotation were computed from models developed upon the sampled chronosequence (1 to 28 years old). Disturbed forests harbored species typical of primary forests, pioneer species and gaps opportunistic species. Their tree basal area (18.7 ± 1.4 m2 ha−1) and above-ground C stock (71.3 ± 4.2 Mg C ha−1) were, respectively, 50 and 60% of the values of undisturbed forests from the literature. The growth curve for oil palm above-ground biomass was consistently below models developed for plantations in Indonesia. Thirty-year time-averaged ecosystem C stock (Mg C ha−1) in oil palm plantations (78.2 ± 2.0) represented 55% of the stock in disturbed forest (140.9 ± 5.8), resulting in a 62.7 ± 6.1 loss from such conversion. These results reinforce recommendations to redirect oil palm expansion toward low-carbon degraded lands, sparing disturbed and undisturbed forests.

PERTUMBUHAN DAN HASIL TIGA VARIETAS KEDELAI DI GAWANGAN DENGAN PEMOTONGAN UJUNG PELEPAH KELAPA SAWIT

Oil palm plantations in Indonesia are the largest one in the world, reaching 12.3 million hectares, around 46% are smallholders with very low productivity couse income of oil palm farmers is very low. One effort to take over the problems is to develop an intercroping pattern of soybean- oilpalm by trimming the tips of the midribs of oil palm plants on thewider side of interspace of palm stand rows, to increase light interception accepted by soy bean plant surfaces. This study used a randomized block design (RBD) arranged in factorial 4x3 with three replications. The first treatment is cutting the edge of the oil palm midrib, namely P1 = 50 cm, P2 = 100 cm, P3 = 150 cm. The second treatment was low light intensity tolerant soybean varieties, namely: V1 = Dena 1, V2 = Anjasmoro and V3 = Detam 1. Other actions were carried out according to generally accepted standards. To see the effect of treatment carried out the F test at the level of 5%, and continued with the HSD test at the level of 5% to see the difference among treatments. The results showed that a hope of developing soybean plants as intercrops, although statistically did not show a significant difference. FFB results were not significantly affected by the act of trimming the midrib as 150 cm.

Root detection by resistivity imaging and physiological activity with the dead-end trench on three clones of cocoa (Theobroma cacao)

Abstract. Maghfiroh CN, Putra ETS, Dewi HSES. 2020. Root detection by resistivity imaging and physiological activity with the dead-end trench on three clones of cocoa (Theobroma cacao). Biodiversitas 21: 2794-2803. Indonesia is one of the largest cocoa production countries in Southeast Asia, but has low average productivity (982 kg/ha) based on Indonesian Plantation Statistics (2017). Productivity increase effort by giving dead-end trenches that applied to collect organic material, accommodate surface runoff sediments, prevent erosion, and maintain nutrient availability. Dead-end trench had an impact on root cutting and improve rooting. Clone is very influential on cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) yield. The superior clones recommended are clones RCC-70, RCC-71, and KKM-22, which have high productivity and are resistant to pests and diseases. The objectives of this research were (i) to detect the presence of roots by resistivity imaging (ii) to study the effects of dead-end trench application on physiological activities of cocoa leaves and yields of three clones (RCC-70, RCC-71, and KKM-22); (iii) to determine which cocoa clone (s) performed a significant yield increase with the application of dead-end trench. Research was conducted in August 2018-April 2019 at PT. Pagilaran cocoa plantation in North Segayung Production Unit, subdistrict Tulis, Batang, Central Java. The experiment was arranged in a randomized complete design with two factors and three blocks as replications. The first factor was dead-end trench application (with or without dead-end trench application) and the second factor was cocoa clones (RCC-70, RCC-71, and KKM-22). This study showed that dead-end trench applications affected plant roots based on the interpretation results of geoelectric-resistivity measurements. Dead-end trench application significantly affected chlorophyll a, stomatal conductance, transpiration, and H2O leaf content. Dead-end trench application has no significant effect on the content of chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll content, nitrate reductase activity, stomatal density, CO2 leaf content, and photosynthesis rate.

IDENTIFIKASI ADAPTASI ARSITEKTUR TROPIS PADA BANGUNAN KOLONIAL STUDI KASUS: MUSEUM PERKEBUNAN INDONESIA

Climate is the most important factor in architectural design, climate greatly influences the shape and appearance of buildings. Colonial buildings are buildings that have experienced a mix of European architects with local adaptation processes including the climate in Indonesia, one of which is the Indonesian Plantation Museum building in the city of Medan. Indonesia is included in a region that has a humid tropical climate, where the tropical climate has certain characteristics caused by solar heat, high humidity, rainfall, and wind movement. The purpose of this study is to identify aspects of tropicality in colonial buildings that have adapted to tropical climates. The method used in the study is the Case Study Qualitative Method with observation and identification of external forms (building orientation, roof, terraces and outside space) and the shapes in buildings (Patterns of Space, Floors, Walls, and Openings). The results of this study is the Indonesian Plantation Museum tends to be able to adapt to the local climate even though the shape and style of the building comes from Europeans,known as transition architecture. The building elements that are more adapted to the tropical climate are roofs with slopes of more than 30º, openings and cross ventilation, marble and wood floors and very thick concrete walls.

Pengaruh Kebijakan Subsidi Pupuk terhadap Produksi Gula Kristal Putih Indonesia

The direction of government policy is to increase plantation white sugar production. The government through the Ministry of Agriculture has launched fertilizer subsidies to support increased plantation white sugar production. Nevertheless, Indonesia's plantation white sugar production tends to experience a decline from year to year. This condition is not in line with the objectives. This study aims to evaluate the fertilizer subsidy policy in order to achieve the national plantation white sugar self-sufficiency target. The study uses multiple linear regression methods with time series data. The results of the analysis show that the application of the subsidized fertilizer policy does not significantly affect the production of plantation white sugar from sugar cane farmers. The area of sugarcane plantation is a factor that significantly influences the production of Indonesian plantation white sugar .

Comparison of undergrowth diversity between post burned and unburned land in PT National Sago Prima, Riau Province

PT NSP is the only sago industrial plantation in Indonesia. Unfortunately, in 2014 there was a fire on the land with an area of burning estimated around 3,000 ha from the total area of 21,418 Ha. This caused PT NSP to be accused of reducing biodiversity in the area. However, there were no research results that show the amount of damage experienced by the fire. Damage caused by fire to vegetation can cause succession. Changes in vegetation caused by succession can be seen from the composition and structure of vegetation in the area. The purpose of this study was to determine the comparison of composition and structure of undergrowth between post-burned and unburned land. This research was conducted in February 2017 and 2019. The method used was a single plot method. The results showed that in post-burnt land 16 species were found in 2017 and 25 species in 2019. While in unburnt land, 20 species were found in 2017 and 21 species in 2019. The species that dominates was Nephrolepis hirsutula, this was due to the condition of the open land cover causing pioneer plants such as N. hirsutula to rapidly develop to cover all exposed land surfaces.

The Impacts of Certified Seed Plant Adoption on the Productivity and Efficiency of Smallholder Sugarcane Farmers in Indonesia

The development of a certified seed plant (CSP) to increase the production of sugarcane cultivation is one of the primary efforts of the Indonesian government. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of CSP adoption on the productivity and efficiency of smallholder sugarcane farmers in Indonesia. This study used data from the 2014 Indonesian Plantation Farm Household Survey consisting of 3849 farmers. We used propensity score matching to evaluate the impact of CSP adoption on the productivity and technical efficiency of sugarcane farming. We found that the adoption of CSPs increases the productivity of sugarcane farming. The average yield of the farmers who adopt CSPs is 88.24 tons/ha while the average yield of those who do not adopt CSPs is 82.94 tons/ha. Additionally, the adoption of CSPs increases the technical efficiency of sugarcane farming. The average efficiency of the farmers who adopt CSPs is 78.31%, while the non-adopting farmers have a technical efficiency of 76.44%. These results suggest that the current policy regarding CSP adoption has been on the right track. However, the government should encourage farmers to exercise good farming practices since the technical efficiency is low. Additionally, since the current rate of adoption is only 18.13%, the government should prioritize policies encouraging the adoption of CSPs.

Obligations of Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) certification for oil palm plantation companies in North Sumatera to support sustainable development

The international oil palm plantation business, there are two well-known certifications, namely the Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) and the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). They are both certifications of oil palm plantations that adhere to sustainable and environmentally sound principles, the former being mandatory while the latter being voluntary. The obligation of ISPO is regulate by the Ministry of Agriculture Regulation No. 19 of 2011 concerning Guidelines for Sustainable Oil Palm Plantation in Indonesia. The ISPO certification required by the Government to be obtained by oil palm plantation companies can contribute to all stakeholders. ISPO certification allows oil palm plantation companies to export CPO to the Southeast Asian market, Medan being the connecting satellite city. There are several head offices of oil palm plantation companies in Medan which contribute in the form of levies and export taxes. Also, the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program is conduct in the Medan region. Every oil palm plantation company under ISPO certification must be audit for its compliance, including the implementation of the CSR Program. The increase in CPO exports originating from oil palm plantation companies in Sumatra can indirectly turn the wheels of the economy Medan. Locally-generated revenue increases with licensing fees from the head offices of plantation companies in Medan.

Kelimpahan Kepik Predator (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) di Daerah Endemik Serangan Ulat Api Pada Perkebunan Kelapa Sawit Rakyat

Caterpillar fire is classified as the main pests in oil palm plants and are found in almost all oil palm plantations in Indonesia. The caterpillar fire control is currently being directed to biological control by predatory insects. Insects from the Reduviidae family are one of the insects whose members are predators of caterpillar fire. This study aims to (1) identify predatory ladybug species (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) found in endemic areas of caterpillar fire attacks. (2) studying the abundance of predatory ladybugs (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) in areas endemic to fire caterpillar attacks. The research locations were Nagari Panyubarangan, Timpeh district, and Nagari Gunung Selasih, Pulau Punjung district. Identification of sample insects was carried out at the insect Bioecology Laboratory, plant protection department, faculty of Agriculture, Andalas University and campus III land and plant laboratory Dharmasraya from April-July 2018. The sampling of insects uses two methods, namely direct collection, and swing net. In this research, 8 species of predatory ladybugs were found. Of these 8 species, only 3 species preyed on caterpillar fire. Species that prey on fire caterpillars have the highest abundance of Cosmolestes practices as many as 116 individuals and followed by 64 individual Zelus regarding species. Â

Application of Expert System for Diagnosing Diseases Cocoa Plants Using the Forward Chaining Algorithm Method

Cacao plants originated from South America, then spread to North America, Africa and Asia. In Indonesia, cocoa has been known since 1560, but has become an important commodity since 1951. Cacao commodity plays an important role in the national economy and is a national mainstay commodity. This shows that cocoa is one of the results of plantation commodities that have a high economic value and play an important role as a source of foreign exchange through exports, as well as encouraging the regional economy, especially in rural areas. But behind the high value of cocoa production, there are problems faced, including the low quality of cocoa in Indonesia because cocoa plantations in Indonesia are threatened by pests and plant diseases. Lack of information that is known by the plantation and cocoa farmers about the types of diseases that attack cocoa plants, causing many cocoa plants that are not handled properly. If this is allowed to continue it will impact on the declining quality and production of cocoa plants. Current advances in information technology, especially cellular phones, can be used as a means to improve public services, one of the results of the development of cellular technology is the birth of cellular phones with the android operating system. In this research produced if the symptoms data entered could not find the type of cocoa plant disease because the input data did not match any disease data in the database, the system would display the word "Can not find the disease you are looking for because it is not related to fruit rot disease, stem cancer, vascular antraknosem, streak dieback, upas fungus and root fungus ". From the data of symptoms, diseases and relations above, the algorithm is depicted using a decision tree. Decision tree is a picture of tracking symptoms, determining the disease and concluding results in the form of a solution. In this application, using the Forward Chaining method so that tracking begins with the selection of symptoms experienced then the results of the diagnosis in the form of cocoa plant diseases.

Effects of Organic Materials and Rainfall Intensity on the Productivity of Oil Palm Grown under Sandy Soil Condition

Oil palm plantations in Indonesia are cultivated on various types of land, ranging from very suitable to unsuitable types. This cultivation method is increasingly vulnerable to drought caused by climate change. Climate change due to global warming negatively affects the management of oil palm plantations in the long term. The upper-temperature limit for efficient photosynthesis in oil palm leaves is &gt;38 °C. The increase in temperature (2°C above the optimum) and rainfall by 10% is projected to cause a yield decline of up to 30%. The water shortage is also a major limiting factor for palm oil production. Such vulnerability is predicted to worsen, and thus its negative effects should be explored. The purpose of this study is to reveal the role of organic matter applied as empty bunches (EFB) and the management of Nephrolepis bisserata vegetation in reducing the adverse effects of rainfall on palm oil production on sandy soils. The survey method and observations were carried out for over 3 years on plants aged 14-16 years on blocks. Empty fruit bunches (EFB) of 40 tons/ha/year was applied to each block, and Nephrolepis biserrata was used as ground cover which planted in path. The parameters observed included the number and average weight of fresh fruit bunches (FFB). The relationship between fluctuations in the conditions of monthly rainfall intensity on oil palm production was determined through regression analysis. Rainfall strongly influenced the number of FFB, whereas the average weight of FFB remained relatively constant. The application of EFB and management of Nephrolepis biserrata vegetation facilitates the reduction of drought impacts and increase in oil palm production (15%) as shown in bunch weight and bunch number. EFB and Nephrolepis biserrata vegetation can increase soil organic matter content and improve soil water holding capacity.