MARKET DEVELOPMENT
MPOB, Partners Identify Genetic Secrets To Improve Palm Oil Yield
MPOB, Partners Identify Genetic Secrets To Improve Palm Oil Yield
11/09/2015 (Bernama) - The Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) and its research partners from the United States have identified genetic secrets to improve oil yield via the use of oil palm clones.
"Through the research on the oil palm genome, we have identified a transposable element named 'Karma', which is responsible for the low-yielding mantled fruit.
"The discovery has led to the development of a simple, leaf based test that can identify 'Bad Karma' and predict mantling before palms are planted in the field," MPOB said in a statement today.
It said the new test would enable the cultivation of high performing clonal oil palms by identifying only those with the 'Good Karma' epigenetic trait, further optimising the use of environmentally sensitive land resources.
MPOB said that oil palm clones had the potential to produce 20 to 30 per cent more oil on the same planted area as trees grown from seedlings.
However, that potential could not be reached until now as a significant proportion of the fruits of cloned palms suffered from a phenomenon called 'mantling'.
"Although the cloned trees are genetically identical to their high performing parents, mantled fruits are abnormal and in turn will reduce oil yields.
"Because mantling occurs at random, the risk of unproductive 'mantled' fruits make oil palm planters reluctant to plant clonal palms, despite the benefit of higher yields from the productive 'normal' plants," it said.
Currently, oil palm plantations produce 45 per cent of the edible oil produced worldwide, but utilising only five per cent of the land dedicated to producing vegetable oil.
The crop is also the most efficient producer of oil, yielding ten times more edible oil per unit of land than soybean.
Advancements that enable increased yields on existing planted areas can help increase the sustainability of oil palm cultivation by reducing pressure on valuable tropical forests.
"Through the research on the oil palm genome, we have identified a transposable element named 'Karma', which is responsible for the low-yielding mantled fruit.
"The discovery has led to the development of a simple, leaf based test that can identify 'Bad Karma' and predict mantling before palms are planted in the field," MPOB said in a statement today.
It said the new test would enable the cultivation of high performing clonal oil palms by identifying only those with the 'Good Karma' epigenetic trait, further optimising the use of environmentally sensitive land resources.
MPOB said that oil palm clones had the potential to produce 20 to 30 per cent more oil on the same planted area as trees grown from seedlings.
However, that potential could not be reached until now as a significant proportion of the fruits of cloned palms suffered from a phenomenon called 'mantling'.
"Although the cloned trees are genetically identical to their high performing parents, mantled fruits are abnormal and in turn will reduce oil yields.
"Because mantling occurs at random, the risk of unproductive 'mantled' fruits make oil palm planters reluctant to plant clonal palms, despite the benefit of higher yields from the productive 'normal' plants," it said.
Currently, oil palm plantations produce 45 per cent of the edible oil produced worldwide, but utilising only five per cent of the land dedicated to producing vegetable oil.
The crop is also the most efficient producer of oil, yielding ten times more edible oil per unit of land than soybean.
Advancements that enable increased yields on existing planted areas can help increase the sustainability of oil palm cultivation by reducing pressure on valuable tropical forests.