Oil palm breeding experts have called for the integration of conventional breeding, modern biotechnology and gene-editing technology to develop high-performing planting materials, improve productivity and strengthen the crop’s resilience to climate change.
The experts made the call during a lecture organised by the Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR) in Benin, Edo State, where they highlighted the potential of emerging technologies to accelerate the development of improved oil palm varieties.
Dr Claude Bakoume, Africa Regional Representative of the International Society for Oil Palm Breeders (ISOPB), said gene editing could address some of the limitations of conventional breeding by enabling researchers to introduce specific traits into oil palm varieties.
He explained that the technology could support the development of palms with improved drought tolerance, shorter heights and modified fatty acid compositions for enhanced industrial applications.
Bakoume added that gene editing could shorten the time required to develop improved varieties, helping researchers respond more rapidly to agricultural challenges, particularly those associated with climate change.
He warned that changing weather patterns and prolonged drought could undermine oil palm productivity, stressing the need for planting materials that can adapt to varying environmental conditions without suffering significant yield losses.
The expert also underscored the importance of effective field management in breeding programmes, noting that lapses during seedling distribution and transplantation could lead to discrepancies in progeny numbers and undermine research results.
He called for accurate labelling, systematic record keeping and proper field mapping to ensure that planting materials were correctly identified and monitored throughout breeding trials.
Also speaking, Dr Rajinder Singh of the Advanced Biotechnology and Breeding Centre of the Malaysian Palm Oil Board said combining conventional breeding with modern biotechnology could help improve crop yields and speed up the development of better-performing varieties.
He explained that conventional breeding relies on selecting and crossing plants with desirable traits, while biotechnology could complement the process by accelerating the development of improved planting materials.
Singh identified limited land availability as a major constraint in oil palm breeding, explaining that the crop requires extensive space for progeny trials compared with crops such as soybean.
To address the challenge, he encouraged collaboration between research institutions and oil palm plantations to enable the sharing of trial sites and other resources.
He also stressed the need for sound experimental designs, including the use of control groups and replication, to minimise errors and ensure the reliability of findings from breeding programmes.
Some participants at the lecture described the programme as an opportunity to acquire new knowledge and ideas that could help improve their oil palm production.
