Abstract
Oil palm is an important oil-bearing crop of the tropics, with a high outturn of oil per unit area. Genetic improvement of oil palm has played a crucial role in enhancing yield potential by four- to fivefold. Hybridization and selection were mainly at shell thickness (sh) loci, thereby affecting mesocarp content. Genomic tools are efficiently employed in analyzing transcriptomes of oil palm genes specific to tissues, flowering, mesocarp and oil yield and quality traits, somatic embryogenesis, and mantled disorder. Molecular markers (RFLP, SSR, RAPD, and SNP) are used to understand the high diversity of oil palm germplasm in Nigeria and its low diversity in Ghana. Marker-trait association and QTL maps are studied for virescens (AFLP), shell thickness (RAPD, SSR, AFLP, and RFLP), and oil quality traits. Many genes governing MADS box, somatic embryogenesis, oil yield, and quality, as well as promoters specific to mesocarp or leaf tissues, are cloned and sequenced. High dry matter production in the unit area offers a scope for large-scale production of oil palm compounds employing genetic engineering. Gene mapping of other important traits of oil palm such as dwarf habit and resistance to diseases dictates genomics research priorities for the future.
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