Towards understanding and controlling abscission in the oil palm

by mpob_admin

Losses in oil yield and quality are often attributed to the non-synchronous ripening of oil palm bunches and the shedding of loose fruits. Manipulation of abscission process offers valuable opportunities for increasing the productivity of oil palm. Biotechnology or conventional breeding may be exploited to delay the onset of abscission or prevent it altogether.

The genes involved in abscission zone differentiation, ethylene production or cell wall breakdown are possible targets for genetic manipulation for achieving delayed or non-abscission.
Conventional breeding can expoit the naturally-occuring non-shedding palms. The virescens palm, the fruits of which are green when unripe and red when fully ripe may be a better candidate than the nigrescens for exploitation of this trait.
Both the biotechology and conventional breeding approaches require an understanding of the abscission process

Releated

A note on the long-term palm oil yield trend

National data for Malaysia on annual palm oil yields per hectare were re-examined in the light of their apparent lack of improvement over the last few decades. Published yields were compared to yields re-calculated from basic data on total crude palm oil (CPO) production and mature planted area. While some discrepancies were evident between the […]

by mpob_admin