Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) is the main industrial crop in Malaysia. In the early years of its expansion, most of the oil palm was cultivated on suitable mineral soils. However, as available suitable land is diminishing, some of the oil palm is now being cultivated on marginal soils such as peat. There are 2.43 million hectares of peatland in Malaysia which are mostly located in Sarawak. Generally, peatland is formed in the lowlands, and only a small area occurs in the highlands. Lowland peat occurs in the coastal areas, in low lying and poorly drained depressions or basins.

Main Researcher: Nordiana Abd Aziz