Family: Palmae

Genus: elaeis

Species: guineensis

Origin and Spread

The palms are believed to have originated in Tropical Africa from where it spread to America and far fast. Oil palm was introduced in India, as early as 1890 at National Botanical Garden, Calcutta. Subsequent introduction were made in several states in South, West and East India.

Uses

Oil palm produces palmoil is used in food products, non-food derivatives, detergent, pharmaceutical and lubricant industries.

Explant Source

Harvest fruits 12 weeks after pollination

Preparation of Explants

• Excise the ovules from the fruit with the help of a small knife and collect in a beaker containing distilled water.
• Surface sterilize the ovules with 0.1% HgCl₂ containing two drops or Tween -20 for 10 min inside a laminar air flow chamber.
• Inoculate the surface sterilized ovules on to culture medium.

Media & Culture condition

• Medium : Y3 medium + sucrose 30 g/l + charcoal 1g/l + 0.5 mg/l NAA and BAP 0.05 mg/l each solidified with 0.55% agar
• Incubate the cultures in dark at 27 ± 20C with 80-85 % relative humidity.
• Transfer germinated embryos to an illuminated room with a photoperiod of 16 hours
• Sub culture the embryos to fresh nutrient media once in a month.
• Transfer plantlets with well-developed shoot and root system to pots containing sterile sand and soil in equal proportions

Plantlet acclimatization

• Transfer plantlets with balanced roots and shoot to pots after treatment with carbendazim (1%) and IBA solution (1000 ppm) for an hour.
• The potting mixture consists of sterilized soil, sand and coir dust in equal portions
• Provide high humidity to the plantlets initially by covering them with polythene bag; then reduce the humidity gradually by making perforations in the bag and later remove the bags at night. After 4 weeks, remove the bags completely.

Practical Utility

It could be used in the embryo rescue of rare hybrids and in vitro germplasm conservation studies and also useful in the areas of safe and convenient germplasm movement, rare embryo rescue etc

Y3 medium:. Eeuwens(1976); IBA: Indole-3-butyric acid; NAA: a-naphthaleneacetic acid; MS basal medium-Murashige and Skoog (1962)

*Based on the fruit structure, oil palm is classified as Dura (thick shell; less mesocarp), Pisifera (shell less; embryo rarely formed) and the commercially cultivated Tenera, the DX P hybrid (thin shell; more mesocarp (60 - 95%), with high oil content.