PIPOC2009-PALMOIL

MPOB AND ORION COMPLETE SEQUENCING OF THREE OIL PALM GENOMES


KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 9 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) and
Orion Genomics today announced that a consortium co-led by the Advanced
Biotechnology and Breeding Centre has sequenced three oil palm genomes from two
palm species, an important food and biofuel crop.
This genome sequencing effort provides a comprehensive genetic blueprint of
E.oleifera and E.guineensis, including the pisifera and dura palms, they said.
MPOB director-general Datuk Dr Mohd Basri Wahid said knowledge of the
genomic sequence of these oil palm varieties enabled researchers to understand
genetic differences between trees for more resistant to disease than usual.
"Our goal in completing the oil palm genome sequence is to dramatically
improve oil yields both for the production of food, feed and fuel," he said at
the plenary session on "Sequencing the Oil Palm Genome: The Beginning" at the
International Palm Oil Congress 2009 here today.
Oil palm plantations on average produce 3.9 tonnes of oil per hectare per
year, nearly 10 times more than other productive oil-bearing crops, Mohd Basri
said.
Therefore, it has the potential to meet growing demand for food and
renewable fuel, he said.
Used in cooking oil, margarine, baked goods and other foods, palm oil is the
most consumed edible oil in the world.
It feeds more than three billion people in 150 countries worldwide and is
also a common ingredient in soaps and cosmetics.
Last year, Malaysia produced 17.7 million tonnes of crude palm oil and
exported RM65.2 billion (US$17.6 billion) worth of palm oil products.
New technologies are now enabling palm oil to be transformed into biodiesel,
a promising renewable fuel.
MPOB and Orion Genomics, along with Mogene LC, also unveiled plans to study
the epigenetic make-up of oil palm next year in an effort to improve yields.
Epigenetics is the study of the pattern of chemical groups that influence
whether specific genes are turned on or off, said Orion Genomics' president and
chief executive officer Nathan Lakey.
"We theorise that by studying oil palm epigenetics, we may be able to help
to speed the development of varieties of oil palm that produce more oil, rapidly
increasing the per acre efficiency of this crop, which already is the single
largest producer of edible oils worldwide," he said. -- BERNAMA
WNA LC