Genetic research may reduce palm oil’s impact on environment

The Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) and Orion Genomics have sequenced three genomes from two oil palm species, which could ultimately lead to the development of varieties with a higher per acre efficiency.

Oil palm plantations produce an average of 3.9 tonnes of oil per hectare per year. However, the large-scale production of palm oil is controversial; resulting deforestation has left native wildlife and indigenous populations vulnerable, while emissions from fires fuelled by exposed and dried-up peat swamps have a devastating impact on the environment.

There are two species of oil palm: E. guineensis, which is used for commercial purposes due to its high productivity and E. oleifera, which has traits including disease resistance and higher quantities of unsaturated fat that could add value if incorporated into E. guineensis lines.

“Knowledge of the genomic sequence of these palm oil varieties enables researchers to understand genetic differences between trees that are, for example, higher yielding or more resistant to disease than usual,” comments Mohd Basri Wahid, director general of MPOB.

“Epigenetics is the study of the pattern of chemical groups that influence whether specific genes are turned on or off,” adds president and ceo of Orion Genomics, Nathan Lakey. “We theorise that by studying palm oil epigenetics, we may be able to help speed the development of varieties of oil palm that produce more oil, rapidly increasing the per acre efficiency of this crop.”