Research Published in Nature Sequences Oil Palm Genome and Identifies Gene Critical for Yield of Palm Oil, Major Source of Edible Vegetable Oil
25/07/2013 (PRNewswire) - A multinational team of scientists from the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) and Orion Genomics today announced the publication of two papers in the journal Nature outlining the genome sequencing of the oil palm plant and the identification of a single gene, called Shell, that is responsible for increasing the plant's yield of oil by 30 percent. The fruit and seeds of the oil palm are the source of nearly one-half of the supply of edible vegetable oil worldwide and provide one of the most promising sources of biofuel. Scientists from the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB), which sponsored the research, and Orion Genomics authored both papers.
