ABSTRACT
Diversity in the genetic resources of oil palm N. Rajanaidu, A. Mohd Din, M. Marhalil, A. Norziha, O. A. Meilina, A. M. Fadila, A. B. Nor Azwani, L. Adelina, H. Zulkifli, S. Wan Salmiah and A. Kushairi, Malaysian Palm Oil Board, Malaysia
1 Introduction
2 The genetic base of current breeding materials
3 Genetic diversity in oil palm: fruit forms
4 Genetic diversity in oil palm: fruit types
5 Genetic diversity in oil palm: morphological traits
6 Genetic diversity in oil palm: genetic markers
7 Conservation of oil palm collections
8 Utilization of germ plasm
9 Conclusion
10 Where to look for further information
11 Acknowledgement
12 References
The oil palm is a monocotyledonous plant classified in the Arecaceae family, formerly known as Palmae. There are two major species of oil palm, namely Elaeis guineensis and Elaeis oleifera. Elaeis guineensis and Elaeis oleifera are native to West Africa and South America, respectively (Corley and Tinker, 2003). Extensive natural or semi-wild varieties of Elaeis guineensis (Fig. 1) are found along the west coast of Africa from Senegal to Angola (Zeven, 1967), whereas Elaeis oleifera (Fig. 2) is distributed in Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Suriname, Ecuador, Brazil and Peru (Meunier, 1975; Ooi et al., 1981; Escobar, 1982; Rajanaidu, 1983; Julian Barba, 2012). These two species are able to hybridize to produce fertile fruits. Hybrids are short with desirable oil quality and fresh fruit bunch (FFB) yield.
