The enrichment of oil palm seedlings by CO2 can
reduce the nursery time. The CO2-enriched seedlings
demonstrated higher growth (total biomass and leaf area)
than the ambient-treated palms. From calculation and the
observed regression data, oil palm seedlings enriched with
CO2 for 25 weeks would have similar total plant biomass
as the 52-week-old seedlings raised in conventional
nursery under ambient CO2 condition, exhibiting a
reduction in nursery time by 27 weeks (6.8 months;
Fig. 11). In the case of total leaf area, the reduction in
nursery time is about 22 weeks to achieve similar total
leaf area as in enriched seedlings (5.5 months; Fig. 12).
Results showed the possibility of enhancing growth and
reducing nursery period through enrichment of oil palm
seedlings with CO2.