Breeding and Tissue Culture Unit

Mission

Continuous improvement and generation of elite oil palm planting materials.

Objective

Generation of improved and elite planting material through breeding and clonal propagation, enhanced through the use of molecular tools developed.

Strategic Research Areas

  1. Diversity studies for oil palm
  2. Establishment of a DNA database for oil palm germplasm material
  3. Establishment of a cryopreservation method for storage of germplasm and clonal materials
  4. DNA fingerprinting for our planting material
  5. Marker assisted selection towards improving oil palm breeding material
  6. Genetic resources
  7. Improvement of selection methodology
  8. Establishment of advanced breeding populations
  9. Further exploitation of Elaeis oleifera, interspecific hybrids and backcrosses
  10. Introgression of germplasm into breeding research
  11. Genotyping analysis
  12. Use of –omics technologies to discover biomarkers for improvement of clonal propagation
  13. Epigenetics studies towards understanding the oil palm clonal abnormality
  14. Mitochondria research with relations to yield production and clonal abnormality
  15. Production of elite clonal palms and specialty palms such as Bactris and Elaeis oleifera.
  16. Development of novel methods for improvement of the tissue culture process.
  17. Development of liquid cultures for improving the efficiency of the tissue culture protocol.
  18. Clonal propagation and breeding to produce planting materials with the following priority traits:
    1. High oil yield
    2. Ganoderma tolerance
    3. High bunch index
    4. Low height
    5. Long stalk

Breeding and Genetics Group

Objective

  1. To develop new and improved oil palm planting materials;
  2. To maintain and conserve germplasm and advanced genetic base for future use;
  3. To accelerate conventional breeding programme for developing and conserving elite oil palm planting materials through molecular approach;
  4. To conduct research on oil palm breeding materials in the field of genetic diversity, markers assisted-selection, fingerprinting and DNA preservation.

Clonal Propagation Group

Objective

  1. Increase efficiency of generation of elite planting materials.
  2. Create a centre of excellence in oil palm biotechnology (plant tissue culture).
  3. Development of improved planting materials.

Achievement

  1. 2020
  • 31st International Invention, Innovation & Technology Exhibition (ITEX2020). Kuala Lumpur. 20-21 November 2020
  • Gold Medal
  • Siti Rahmah, A R; Mohd Isa, Z A; Mohd Din, A and Ong-Abdullah, M
  • Clonal Palm Series 3 (CPS3) – Productivity for Sustainability.

   2. 2020

  • 31st International Invention, Innovation & Technology Exhibition (ITEX2020). Kuala Lumpur. 20-21 November 2020
  • Malaysia Innovative Product Award 2020
  • Siti Rahmah, A R; Mohd Isa, Z A; Mohd Din, A and Ong-Abdullah, M
  • Clonal Palm Series 3 (CPS3) – Productivity for Sustainability.

   3. 2020

  • Majlis Penyampaian Anugerah Dalaman MPOB (ADaM)
  • Anugerah Bank Idea
  • Naqiuddin M
  • Temporary immersion bioreactor system for micropropagation of oil palm

   4. 2018

  • 29th International Invention, Innovation & Technology Exhibition (ITEX2018). Kuala Lumpur. 10-12 May 2018
  • Tarmizi et al
  • Multivessel (MV) Bioreactor for Liquid Tissue Culture System.

Epigenetics Group

Objective

  1. Establish epigenomic reference maps for the oil palm
  2. Discover epigenetic marks for traits that are possibly epigenetically-regulated to enhance oil palm tissue culture and breeding

 

Breeding & Quantitative Genetics Group Services

Services

  1. Sale of DxP seeds
  2. Sale of genetic materials for seed garden
  3. Leasing of mother palms
  4. Sale of pollen
  5. Consultancies on breeding and seed production

Clonal Propagation Group Services

Services

  1. Sale of ortet
  2. Consultancies on clonal propagation