2024 Volume 31 Issue 2 Pages 71-78
To clarify the influence of the sago palm (Metroxylon sagu Rottb.) on the soil through phytolith formation, a transmitted-light microscope was used to determine the particle size, the number of conical projection spines (CPS), the vertex angle of the CPS, the length of the bottom of the CPS, and the height of the CPS of spheroid echinate phytoliths in spined and spineless sago palm leaflets and the soil surface from Pangasugan, Leyte, Philippines. The sago palms were transplanted from the Dulag area in the eastern part of Leyte in 2005, and leaflet samples were taken in 2016. The spined sago palm provided the smaller mean particle size, larger number of CPS, larger CPS vertex angle (131.8±12.5°), larger length of the bottom of CPS, and smaller height of CPS than those of the spineless sago palm. On the other hand, the CPS vertex angle of the spineless sago palm was 85.1±10.9°. Two angle peaks of CPS on the spheroid echinate phytoliths from 81 to 140° with one shoulder of 111 to 120° were found in the surface layer soil samples taken in 2019. Based on the CPS characteristics, it is concluded that the spheroid echinate phytoliths on the soil surface were transported from both the spined and spineless sago palm in the sago palm field of Pangasugan, Leyte.
