ABSTRACT
Harlan reports that an estimated 7000 plant species may have been used throughout history for food, feed, fuel, and industrial purposes. Geographically distinct/isolated populations may show differences in allele frequencies through stochastic processes, such as new mutation and genetic drift in small populations, as well as selection. Prospection and conservation efforts have been made for many crops of importance and most of the UN Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) centers have extensive germplasm collections, ex situ. The breeding populations which form the genetic base and diversity of most, if not all, of the current oil palm breeding programs have been derived from a limited number of progenitor palms prospected by early oil palm breeders at the various centers of origin and diversity in W. Africa. Elaeis oleifera was collected in Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras, Brazil and Suriname in 1981–1982. The palms were screened for fatty acid composition.
