Production of haploids and doubled haploids in oil palm

Background: Oil palm is the world’s most productive oil-food crop despite yielding well below its theoretical maximum. This maximum could be approached with the introduction of elite F1 varieties. The development of such elite lines has thus far been prevented by difficulties in generating homozygous parental types for F1 generation. Results: Here we present the first high-throughput screen to identify spontaneously-formed haploid (H) and doubled haploid (DH) palms. We secured over 1,000 Hs and one DH from genetically diverse material and derived further DH/mixoploid palms from Hs using colchicine. We demonstrated viability of pollen from H plants and expect to generate 100% homogeneous F1 seed from intercrosses between DH/mixoploids once they develop female inflorescences. Conclusions: This study has generated genetically diverse H/DH palms from which parental clones can be selected in sufficient numbers to enable the commercial-scale breeding of F1 varieties. The anticipated step increase in productivity may help to relieve pressure to extend palm cultivation, and limit further expansion into biodiverse rainforest.

Frying of potato chips in a blend of canola oil and palm olein: changes in levels of individual fatty acids and tocols

The changes occurring in the levels of nutritionally relevant oil components were assessed during repeated frying of potato chips in a blend of palm olein and canola oil (1:1 w/w). The blend suffered minimal reductions in omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids. There was no significant difference between the fatty acid composition of the oil extracted from the product and that of the frying medium, in all three cases. The blend also contained a significant amount of tocols which add a nutritional value to the oil. The concentration of the tocols was satisfactorily retained over the period of oil usage, in contrast to the significant loses observed in the case of the individual oils. The blend also performed well when assessed by changes in total polar compounds, free fatty acids, p-anisidine value. When fried in used oil, the product oil content increased progressively with oil usage time. This study shows that blended frying oils can combine good stability and nutritional quality

Production and purification of xylooligosaccharides from oil palm empty fruit bunch fibre by a non-isothermal process

Oil palm empty fruit bunches (OPEFB) fibre, a by-product generated from non-woody, tropical perennial oil palm crop was evaluated for xylooligosaccharides (XOS) production. Samples of OPEFB fibre were subjected to non-isothermal autohydrolysis treatment using a temperature range from 150 to 220 °C. The highest XOS concentration, 17.6 g/L which relayed from solubilisation of 63 g/100 g xylan was achieved at 210 °C and there was a minimum amount of xylose and furfural being produced. The chromatographic purification which was undertaken to purify the oligosaccharide-rich liquor resulted in a product with 74–78% purity, of which 83–85% was XOS with degree of polymerisation (DP) between 5 and 40.

Substitution of corn and soybean oil by cassava meal and African palm tree oil in diets of laying hens

Fourty-two White Leghorns laying hens, from the commercial Cuban hybrid L-33, were used for eight weeks during the laying peak (36 to 43 weeks of age), to assess the substitution of corn by cassava root meal (Manihot esculenta Crantz) and the crude soybean oil by crude oil of African palm tree (Elaeis guineensis J.) in the diets of laying hens. Analysis of variance was conducted, according to simple classification design, with three treatments and 14 repetitions (a cage with a hen). The treatments consisted of three diets (1- corn meal + soybean oil; 2- 25 % cassava meal + African palm tree oil; 3- 53 % cassava meal + African palm tree oil), with 15.71 % CP; 3.83 % Ca and 0.36 % P available. The viability was of 100 % in all treatments. No differences were found for laying (92.21, 92.09 and 91.59 %), which surpassed the potential of this hybrid during the laying peak (90 %), conversion (118g feedstuff/egg in the three treatments), egg mass produced (3066, 3114 and 3071 g/bird) and mass conversion (1.99, 1.95 y 1.98 feed consumed/egg mass). The pigmentation of the egg yolk was reduced as the level of cassava meal increased in the diets (6, 4 and 3 at Roche's scale), as well as the cost of the feed consumed in 56 d per hen (2.56, 2.15 and 1.83 USD/bird). The possibility of substituting, totally, corn meal by that of cassava and soybean oil by that of the African palm tree in the diets of laying hens during the laying peak was determined, with positive economic effect and without damaging the productive performance of birds.

Chemical Interesterification of Blends of Palm Stearin, Coconut Oil, and Canola Oil: Physicochemical Properties

trans-Free interesterified fat was produced for possible usage as a margarine. Palm stearin, coconut oil, and canola oil were used as substrates for chemical interesterification. The main aim of the present study was to evaluate the physicochemical properties of blends of palm stearin, coconut oil, and canola oil submitted to chemical interesterification using sodium methoxide as the catalyst. The original and interesterified blends were examined for fatty acid composition, softening and melting points, solid fat content, and consistency. Chemical interesterification reduced softening and melting points, consistency, and solid fat content. The interesterified fats showed desirable physicochemical properties for possible use as a margarine. Therefore, our result suggested that the interesterified fat without trans-fatty acids could be used as an alternative to partially hydrogenated fat.

Assessing the performance of a nucleus estate and smallholder scheme for oil palm production in West Sumatra: a stochastic frontier analysis

In this paper, we study the performance of smallholders in a nucleus estate and smallholder (NES) scheme in oil palm production schemein West Sumatra by measuring their technical efficiency using a stochastic frontier production function. Our results indicate a mean technical efficiency of 66%, which is below what we would have expected given the uniformity of the climate, soils and plantation construction among the sample farmers. The use of progressive farmers as a means of disseminating extension advice does not appear to have been successful, and more rigorous farmer selection procedures need to be put in place for similar schemes and for general agricultural extension in future. No clear relationship was established between technical efficiency and the use of female labour, suggesting there is no need to target extension services specifically at female labourers in the household. Finally, education was found to have an unexpectedly negative impact on technical efficiency, indicating that farmers with primary education may be more important than those with secondary and tertiary education as targets of development schemes and extension programs entailing non-formal education. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hydrological and economic effects of oil palm cultivation in Indonesian peatlands

Oil palm has increasingly been established on peatlands throughout Indonesia. One of the concerns is that the drainage required for cultivating oil palm in peatlands leads to soil subsidence, potentially increasing future flood risks. This study analyzes the hydrological and economic effects of oil palm production in a peat landscape in Central Kalimantan. We examine two land use scenarios, one involving conversion of the complete landscape including a large peat area to oil palm plantations, and another involving mixed land use including oil palm plantations, jelutung (jungle rubber; (Dyera spp.) plantations, and natural forest. The hydrological effect was analyzed through flood risk modeling using a high-resolution digital elevation model. For the economic analysis, we analyzed four ecosystem services: oil palm production, jelutung production, carbon sequestration, and orangutan habitat. This study shows that after 100 years, in the oil palm scenario, about 67% of peat in the study area will be subject to regular flooding. The flood-prone area will be unsuitable for oil palm and other crops requiring drained soils. The oil palm scenario is the most profitable only in the short term and when the externalities of oil palm production, i.e., the costs of CO2 emissions, are not considered. In the examined scenarios, the social costs of carbon emissions exceed the private benefits from oil palm plantations in peat. Depending upon the local hydrology, income from jelutung, which can sustainably be grown in undrained conditions and does not lead to soil subsidence, outweighs that from oil palm after several decades. These findings illustrate the trade-offs faced at present in Indonesian peatland management and point to economic advantages of an approach that involves expansion of oil palm on mineral lands while conserving natural peat forests and using degraded peat for crops that do not require drainage.

An Investigation of Presumptive Synergism of Oil Palm Bunch Ash and Sawdust Amendments in Remediation of crude oil Spiked Soil

Presumed synergistic effect of combined amendment of crude oil spiked soil with oil palm bunch ash and sawdust was carried out in a laboratory experiment. Two kilogram (2 kg) of sandy soil was placed in each of five plastic vessels labeled TA, TB, TC, TD and TE. TA was left in its natural state while the others were each polluted with 6.7% v/w of crude oil. TB was not given any remediation amendment. TC and TD were each amended with 13.3% of oil palm bunch ash and sawdust respectively while TE was amended with 13.3% each of oil palm bunch ash and sawdust. The setups were replicated five times and watered twice weekly. Results showed that soil pH increased from 8.7±0.04 to 10.5±0.06, 5.3±0.01 to 8.5±0.04 and 5.6±0.18 to 11.5±0.15 for TC, TD and TE respectively. Percentage total petroleum hydrocarbon contents reduced by 65% for TC, TD and 52% for TE. Total organic carbon increased from 7.6±0.7 to 8.5±0.5%%, reduced from 4.0±0.1% to 3.7±0.3% and from 4.1±0.1% to 2.2±1.0% TC, TD and TE respectively. Total nitrogen increased from 0.66±0.1 to 0.69±0.0% for TC, remained nearly the same for TD and reduced from 0.4±0.0 to 0.2±0.0% for TE while average phosphorus increased from 0.4±0.0 to 23.0±4.2 mg/kg, 0.3±0.0 to 1.8±0.4 mg/kg and from 0.2±1.0 mg/kg to 52.6±4.6 mg/kg for TC, TD and TE respectively. Conclusively, combined amendment with oil palm bunch ash and sawdust did not induce synergism in soil total petroleum hydrocarbon content reduction.

Simultaneous determination of carotenoids and tocochromanols from palm hybrid oil by hplc with photodiode array and fluorescence detectors.

2016

Land use change from rainforests to oil palm plantations and food gardens in Papua New Guinea: Effects on soil properties and S fractions

Changes in soil sulfur (S) fractions were assessed in oil palm and food garden land use systems developed on forest vegetation in humid tropical areas of Popondetta in northern Province. The study tested a hypothesis that S in food gardens are limiting nutrient factor and are significantly lower than in plantations and forests. Subsistence food gardens are under long-term slash and burn practice of cropping and such practice is expected to accelerate loss of biomass S from the ecosystem. From each land use, surface soil (0–15 cm) samples were characterised and further pseudocomplete fractionated for S. Conversion of forest to oil palm production decreased (p<0.001) soil pH and electrical conductivity values. The reserve S fraction in soil increased significantly (p<0.05) due to oil palm production ( 28 %) and food gardening activity (∼ 54 %). However, plant available SO42--S was below 15 mg kg^(−1) in the food garden soils and foliar samples of sweet potato crop indicating deficiency of plant available S. Soil organic carbon content (OC) was positively and significantly correlated to total S content (r=0.533; p<0.001) among the land use systems. Thus, crop management practices that affect OC status of the soils would potentially affect the S availability in soils. The possible changes in the chemical nature of mineralisable organic S compounds leading to enhanced mineralisation and leaching losses could be the reasons for the deficiency of S in the food garden soils. The results of this study conclude that long-term subsistence food gardening activity enriched top soils with reserve S or total S content at the expense of soluble S fraction. The subsistence cropping practices such as biomass burning in food gardens and reduced fallow periods are apparently threatening food security of oil palm households. Improved soil OC management strategies such as avoiding burning of fallow vegetation, improved fallows, mulching with fallow biomass, use of manures and S containing fertilisers must be promoted to sustain food security in smallholder oil palm system.