Genes sequenced for three oil palm species; improvements in yield, disease resistance mooted

In Malaysia, Orion Genomics and the Malaysian Palm Oil Board announced the comprehensive genetic sequence of three different varieties of oil palm. This genome sequencing of E. oleifera and E. guineensis includes the pisifera and dura palms, typically used as the paternal and maternal line for oil palms, respectively.  In commercial seed production, the pisifera is frequently used as the paternal line and the dura serves as the maternal palm.

In 2008, Malaysia produced 17.7 million tons of crude palm oil and exported RM65.2 billion (US $17.6 billion) of palm oil products, with a yield of 3.9 tons of oil per hectare per year. The consortium included Orion Genomics, MOgene, The Genome Center at Washington University, Macrogen, and Adelaide, and GeneWorks.

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