ABSTRACT
This chapter examines in more detail three focused Elaeis oleifera (EO) and EO × Elaeis guineensis (EG) or OG breeding and cloning programs in Cirad, ASD Costa Rica, and United Plantations, Malaysia, and reflects on the breeding progress made in this direction and the future prospects of such work. The backcross (BC) program at Cirad was based on the results of F1OG hybrid tests. For 50 years, the ASD Costa Rica oil palm breeding program has used the genetic diversity of the two species, EG and EO to obtain commercial varieties. Genetic diversity has been the main strength of ASD Costa Rica's oil palm breeding program. Since the 1980s, ASD has developed a reliable and unique protocol for cloning compact palms by using explants from inflorescence tissue, with minimal somaclonal abnormalities. United Plantations Berhad (UPB) has been actively involved in plant breeding activities since the early 1950s.
