The oil palm is a remarkable crop, producing around 40% of the world's vegetable oil from around 6% of the land devoted to oil crops. Conventional breeding has clearly been the major focus of genetic improvement in this crop. A mix of improved agronomy and management, coupled with breeding selection have quadrupled the oil yield of the crop since breeding began in earnest in the 1920s. However, as for all perennial crops with long breeding cycles, oil palm faces immense challenges in the coming years with increased pressure from population growth, climate change and the need to develop environmentally sustainable oil palm plantations. In Oil Palm: Breeding, Genetics and Genomics, world leading organizations and individuals who have been at the forefront of developments in this crop, provide their insights and experiences of oil palm research, while examining the different challenges that face the future of the oil palm. The editors have all been involved in research and breeding of oil palm for many years and use their knowledge of the crop and their disciplinary expertise to provide context and to introduce the different research topics covered.
Prefacev ii
Acknowledgments ix
Editors xi
Contributors xiii
Chapter 1 Introduction to the Oil Palm Crop 1
Aik Chin Soh, Sean Mayes, and Jeremy Roberts
Chapter 2 The Plant and Crop 7
Aik Chin Soh, Sean Mayes, and Jeremy Roberts
Chapter 3 Genetic Resources 19
Aik Chin Soh, Sean Mayes, Jeremy Roberts, Nookiah Rajanaidu, Amiruddin Mohd Din, Marjuni Marhalil, Abdullah Norziha, Ong-Abdullah Meilina, Ahmad Malike Fadila, Abu Bakar Nor Azwani, Libin Adelinna Anak, Yaakub Zulkifli, Ahmad Kushairi Din, Edson Barcelos, and Philippe Amblard
Chapter 4 Plant Genetics 57
Aik Chin Soh, Sean Mayes, and Jeremy Roberts
Chapter 5 Objective Traits 85
Aik Chin Soh, Sean Mayes, Jeremy Roberts, Kees Breure, Benoît Cochard, Bruno Nouy, Richard M. Cooper, Hubert de Franqueville, Claude Louise, and Shenyang Chin
Chapter 6 Breeding Plans and Selection Methods 143
Aik Chin Soh, Sean Mayes, Jeremy Roberts, David Cros, and Abdul Razak Purba
Chapter 7 Breeding Programs and Genetic Progress 165
Aik Chin Soh, Sean Mayes, Jeremy Roberts, Nicolas Philippe, Daniel Turnbull, Tristan Durand-Gasselin, Benoît Cochard, Choo Kien Wong, Tatang Kusnadi, and Yayan Juhyana
Chapter 8 Clonal Propagation 191
Aik Chin Soh, Sean Mayes, Jeremy Roberts, Ong-Abdullah Meilina, Siew Eng Ooi, Ahmad Tarmizi Hashim, Zamzuri Ishak, Samsul Kamal Rosli, Wei Chee Wong, Chin Nee Choo, Sau Yee Kok, Nuraziyan Azimi, and Norashikin Sarpan
Chapter 9 Molecular Genetics and Breeding 225
Aik Chin Soh, Sean Mayes, Jeremy Roberts, Maizura Ithnin, Amiruddin Mohd Din, Umi Salamah Ramli, Abrizah Othman, Yaakub Zulkifli, Suzana Mustafa, Leslie Eng Ti Low, Ong-Abdullah Meilina, Rajinder Singh, Chee Keng Teh, Qi Bin Kwong, Ail Ling Ong, Mohaimi Mohamed, Sukganah Apparow, Fook Tim Chew, David Ross Appleton, Harikrishna Kulaveerasingam, Huey Fang Teh, Katharina Mebus, Bee Keat Neoh, Tony Eng Keong Ooi, Yick Ching Wong, David Cros, Noorhariza Mohd Zaki, Maria Madon, Trude Schwarzacher, and Pat Heslop-Harrison
Chapter 10 Elaeis oleifera × Elaeis guineensis Interspecific Hybrid Improvement 283
Aik Chin Soh, Sean Mayes, Jeremy Roberts, Edson Barcelos, Philippe Amblard, Amancio Alvarado, Jeremy Henry, Ricardo Escobar, Kandha Sritharan, Mohan Subramaniam, and Xaviar Arulandoo
Chapter 11 Commercial Planting Material Production 297
Sean Mayes, Jeremy Roberts, Choo Kien Wong, Chin Nee Choo, Wei Chee Wong, Cheng Chua Tan, Abdul Razak Purba, and Aik Chin Soh
Chapter 12 Field Experimentation 327
Aik Chin Soh, Sean Mayes, Jeremy Roberts, and Rob Verdooren
Chapter 13 Future Prospects 353
Aik Chin Soh, Sean Mayes, Jeremy Roberts, Tasren Mahamooth, Denis Murphy, Sue Walker, Asha S. Karunaratne, Erik Murchie, John Foulkes, Marcel de Raissac, Raphael Perez, Denis Fabre, Kah Joo Goh, Chin Kooi Ong, and Hereward Corley
Index 425
Professor Aik Chin Soh is a leading international oil palm breeder and geneticist although currently in an advisory capacity. Presently he is an Advisor (previously Research Theme Leader in Breeding & Agronomy) in the new international crop research center, Crops For The Future.
Dr Sean Mayes is currently an Associate Professor in Crop Genetics at the University of Nottingham. He started his research career working for Unilever at Plant Breeding International (Cambridge) working with Peter Jack and Hereward Corley on applying molecular genetics to the oil palm programme, applying genetic fingerprinting to clonal propagation and developing the first genetic map for oil palm. Over the years he has worked on a range of tropical and temperate crops, with a focus on generating genetic markers and applying them in a research and breeding context.
Professor Jerry Roberts is Deputy Vice Chancellor Research and Enterprise at the University of Plymouth. Prior to this appointment, in February 2017, he was at the University of Nottingham where he was Director of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) AgriFood Advanced Training Partnership and of the University of Nottingham’s BBSRC Doctoral Training Partnership. He has been a long-standing member of the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) Programme Advisory Committee and for a number of years was chair of FELDA’s R&D Advisory Panel.