MARKET DEVELOPMENT
Sime Darby's New Oil Palm Breed To Produce 16 Per Cent More Oil
Sime Darby's New Oil Palm Breed To Produce 16 Per Cent More Oil
26/04/2016 (Bernama) - Sime Darby Bhd expects its new oil palm breed, the Genome Select, to produce at least 16 per cent more oil and contribute positively to the group's bottom line by 2023.
President and Group Chief Executive Tan Sri Mohd Bakke Salleh said the Genome Select is also expected to produce more oil than the Calix 600 which is currently the best planting material for Sime Darby Plantations.
"By 2023, Sime Darby Plantations will have enough genome materials to meet all of Malaysia's replanting requirements," he told a press conference at the Genome planting ceremony at Dusun Durian Estate, Carey Island, near here today.
The Genome Select will be planted at two 50 hectare sites located in the coastal and inland areas and Mohd Bakke said the palm would deliver higher oil yields without having to increase hectarage.
"Under good growth conditions, the potential yield from the Genome Select palms can go above 11 metric tonnes oil per hectare.
"This results in average yields of above 6.1 metric tonnes oil per hectare across all environments in Sime Darby's Malaysian plantations. Contrast this to the Calix 600 which yields 5.3 metric tonnes per hectare," he added.
He said over the past seven years, Sime Darby had applied knowledge of the oil palm genome to its oil palm population, along with genetic testing and was able to select the best seedlings to plant as well as identify the best parental palms for seed production.
A genome is the full code or sequence of the DNA in a living organism. It is the complete set of chromosomes and genes in the cells that make up an organism and decide what it is.
"Genome technology will help us select the highest quality planting material which will not only increase yields, but are also climate resilient (drought, heat, salinity, stress), water and nutrient efficient, among others," Mohd Bakke said.
President and Group Chief Executive Tan Sri Mohd Bakke Salleh said the Genome Select is also expected to produce more oil than the Calix 600 which is currently the best planting material for Sime Darby Plantations.
"By 2023, Sime Darby Plantations will have enough genome materials to meet all of Malaysia's replanting requirements," he told a press conference at the Genome planting ceremony at Dusun Durian Estate, Carey Island, near here today.
The Genome Select will be planted at two 50 hectare sites located in the coastal and inland areas and Mohd Bakke said the palm would deliver higher oil yields without having to increase hectarage.
"Under good growth conditions, the potential yield from the Genome Select palms can go above 11 metric tonnes oil per hectare.
"This results in average yields of above 6.1 metric tonnes oil per hectare across all environments in Sime Darby's Malaysian plantations. Contrast this to the Calix 600 which yields 5.3 metric tonnes per hectare," he added.
He said over the past seven years, Sime Darby had applied knowledge of the oil palm genome to its oil palm population, along with genetic testing and was able to select the best seedlings to plant as well as identify the best parental palms for seed production.
A genome is the full code or sequence of the DNA in a living organism. It is the complete set of chromosomes and genes in the cells that make up an organism and decide what it is.
"Genome technology will help us select the highest quality planting material which will not only increase yields, but are also climate resilient (drought, heat, salinity, stress), water and nutrient efficient, among others," Mohd Bakke said.