Vegetative propagation of the oil palm by tissue culture was first described in the 1970s. Since then, the commercial advantage of tissue culture materials over seedlings has been well established. The initial problems or setbacks associated with oil palm tissue culture (for example, flowering abnormalities) have also been minimized by adopting low phytohormone protocols and high culling rates in the laboratory and nursery. This has led to renewed interest in in vitro production of oil palm clones on a large scale. The availability of simple, highly robust and low cost quality control probes for fingerprinting ortets to verify identity, monitorline uniformity and detect culture mix-ups will greatly enhance confidence in the commercial production of tissue culture materials.

Main Research: Dr Rajinder Singh