Experts Advocate Integrated Breeding Technologies to Boost Oil Palm Productivity and Climate Resilience
Oil palm breeding specialists have called for the integration of conventional breeding methods, modern biotechnology and gene-editing technologies to develop improved planting materials, increase productivity and enhance the crop’s ability to withstand climate change.
The experts made the recommendation at a lecture organised by the Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR) in Benin City, Edo State, where they examined how emerging technologies could accelerate the development of high-yielding and climate-resilient oil palm varieties.
Dr Claude Bakoume, Africa Regional Representative of the International Society for Oil Palm Breeders (ISOPB), explained that gene editing offered opportunities to overcome some of the limitations of conventional breeding by allowing researchers to target specific traits in oil palm varieties.
According to him, the technology could facilitate the development of palms with improved drought tolerance, reduced height and modified fatty acid compositions to meet specific industrial requirements.
Bakoume noted that gene editing could also reduce the time required to develop improved planting materials, enabling researchers to respond more effectively to emerging agricultural challenges, particularly those linked to climate change.
He warned that unpredictable weather patterns and prolonged drought posed significant threats to oil palm production, stressing the importance of developing planting materials capable of adapting to changing environmental conditions while maintaining stable yields.
Beyond technological innovation, the expert emphasised the need for proper field management in oil palm breeding programmes. He observed that errors during seedling distribution and transplantation could result in inconsistencies in progeny numbers and compromise the accuracy of research findings.
To prevent such challenges, he called for accurate labelling of planting materials, systematic record keeping and proper field mapping to ensure that seedlings were correctly identified and monitored throughout breeding trials.
Also speaking at the event, Dr Rajinder Singh of the Advanced Biotechnology and Breeding Centre of the Malaysian Palm Oil Board highlighted the benefits of combining conventional breeding with modern biotechnology to improve yields and accelerate the development of superior oil palm varieties.
He explained that conventional breeding involves selecting and crossing plants with desirable characteristics, while biotechnology provides complementary tools that can support and accelerate the development of improved planting materials.
Singh, however, identified limited land availability as a major challenge confronting oil palm breeding research. He noted that the crop requires extensive land for progeny trials, making breeding programmes more space-intensive than those involving crops such as soybean.
To address this constraint, he encouraged stronger partnerships between research institutions and commercial oil palm plantations, particularly through shared trial sites and research resources.
He further stressed the importance of sound experimental designs, including the use of control groups and replicated trials, to minimise errors and ensure that results from breeding experiments were reliable.
Participants at the lecture described the programme as a valuable opportunity to gain fresh knowledge and practical insights that could contribute to improved oil palm production.
The discussions highlighted the importance of combining scientific innovation, effective research management and institutional collaboration to develop more productive and climate-resilient oil palm varieties capable of meeting the evolving needs of the industry.
