Palm Elaeis Guineensis Research Articles

Egg production, economic indices, and external and internal egg quality parameters of laying Japanese quails (Coturnix japonica) fed palm (Elaeis guineensis) kernel cake

The feeding trial aimed to evaluate the egg production, quality parameters and economic benefits of using palm kernel cake, a byproduct of palm oil production in the diets of laying Japanese quails. Two hundred (200) nine-week-old laying Japanese quails were randomized into 5 groups replicated 4 times of 10 birds each in a six weeks trial. Palm kernel cake (PKC) was incorporated at 0 %, 10 %, 20 %, 30 % and 40 % in formulating feed for the quails. The form of oil removal affected the PKC such that it had 91.51% dry matter, 15.70 % crude protein, 21.43 % crude fibre, 12.30 % ether extract, 1.44 % ash, 40.78 % nitrogen-free extract and 12.67MJkg-1 metabolizable energy. All egg production parameters were significantly different (P ≤ 0.05). The results in this study showed that feed cost/ kg, feed cost per crate, profit per crate and egg-feed-price ratio were significantly influenced (P ≤ 0.05) as well as the shell percentage, yolk-albumen weight, albumen weight, yolk height, colour and yolk index. In conclusion, laying Japanese quails can permit up to 40 % dietary PKC without negative effect on laying performance, better cost-benefit, improved shell percentage, albumen weight and percentage, and yolk index, however, the yolk colour becomes lighter with increased PKC inclusion.

Formula Development of Red Palm (Elaeis guineensis) Fruit Extract Loaded with Solid Lipid Nanoparticles Containing Creams and Its Anti-Aging Efficacy in Healthy Volunteers

Palm fruits (Elaeis guineensis) comprise antioxidants that can be used as skin care agents. This study developed a cosmeceutical cream containing E. guineensis extract, loaded with solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs), and assessed its efficacy on female volunteers. The E. guineensis extract exhibited a good antioxidant activity with high levels of vitamin E, β-carotene, and palmitic acid. Day and night creams containing E. guineensis fruit extract, loaded with SLNs, were formulated and exhibited acceptable physical characteristics and good stability. Subsequently, their clinical efficacy and safety were evaluated on female volunteers. Both creams were non-irritating and had good cutaneous compatibility. Skin hydration, transepidermal water loss (TEWL), skin elasticity, melanin index, and skin texture were measured before and 30 min after the first application, as well as after 7, 14, and 30 days of daily application. A satisfactory survey was implemented using a questionnaire, and volunteer satisfaction scores were high for the product’s performance. Overall, the results showed that skin hydration, TEWL, cutaneous elasticity, and melanin index were improved, compared to the baseline data, after 30 days. Thus, the formulated facial day and night creams made the skin moist, reduced wrinkles, increased elasticity, and cleared the skin to the consumers’ satisfaction.

Genes highly overexpressed in salt-stressed Young oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) plants

ABSTRACT RNA-seq is a technique based on the large-scale sequencing of transcript-derived cDNAs using next-generation sequencing platforms mostly used today to characterize an organism’s transcriptome. The analysis of RNA-seq data allows for identifying genes differentially expressed in a given condition, such as salt stress. This study aimed to search and characterize genes from the African oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) highly up-regulated during salt stress, with a long-term goal of gene promoter prospection and validation. The apical leaves from the control (electrical conductivity of ~2 dS m-1) and salt-stressed (~40 dS m-1) young oil palm plants, collected at 5 and 12 days after the beginning of the stress, were subjected to extraction of total RNA, with three plants (replicates) per treatment. The complete genome ofE. guineensis, available at the National Center for Biotechnology Information, was used as the reference genome - BioProject PRJNA192219. The differential expression analysis led to the selection for further characterization of seven genes, which had increased expressions of 37-84 times under salt stress. The strategy used in this study enabled the selection of seven salt-responsive genes highly up-regulated during salt stress, and some of them coded for proteins already reported as responsible for salinity tolerance in other plant species through over-expression or knockout.

Metabolic effect of drought stress on the leaves of young oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) plants using UHPLC\u2013MS and multivariate analysis

The expansion of the oil palm in marginal areas can face challenges, such as water deficit, leading to an impact on palm oil production. A better understanding of the biological consequences of abiotic stresses on this crop can result from joint metabolic profiling and multivariate analysis. Metabolic profiling of leaves was performed from control and stressed plants (7 and 14 days of stress). Samples were extracted and analyzed on a UHPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-HRMS system. Acquired data were processed using XCMS Online and MetaboAnalyst for multivariate and pathway activity analysis. Metabolism was affected by drought stress through clear segregation between control and stressed groups. More importantly, metabolism changed through time, gradually from 7 to 14 days. The pathways most affected by drought stress were: starch and sucrose metabolism, glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism, alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism, arginine and proline metabolism, and glycine, serine and threonine metabolism. The analysis of the metabolic profile were efficient to correlate and differentiate groups of oil palm plants submitted to different levels of drought stress. Putative compounds and their affected pathways can be used in future multiomics analysis.

Morphological and molecular characterization of an Elaeis oleifera (H.B.K) Cortes germplasm collection located in Ucayali, Peru.

The African oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq) is a crop that is widely distributed in tropical regions around the world; however, this crop is subject to limitations such as rapid trunk growth and susceptibility to bud rot and red ring diseases particularly in South America. To overcome these limitations, national breeding and conservation programs have been established, and there is a need to identify parental palms from natural populations of the American oil palm (E. oleifera H.B.K. Cortes) with desirable yield and morphological traits (i.e., yield production and bunch number) and with high genetic diversity. However, in Peru the morphological and genetic data related to this important crop is limited. In this study, we characterized the morphological and yield and estimated the genetic diversity using 12 neutral microsatellite markers (simple sequence repeats, SSRs) across 72 oil palm individuals belonging to the E. oleifera germplasm collection located in the tropical region of Ucayali, Peru. Our results showed that morphological and yield traits explained approximately 40.39% of the variability within the Peruvian germplasm. Furthermore, Yield Production was highly correlated with two yield traits: Bunch Number (0.67) and Average weight per bunch (0.78). Based on the yield and morphological traits, a clustering analysis was performed and three phenotypic groups were identified (1, 2 and 3) in which groups 1 and 3 showed high scores associated primarily with yield traits. Microsatellite markers revealed 143 alleles, 11.92 ± 4.72 alleles per locus (A) and an expected heterozygosity (He) of 0.69 ± 0.045. A structural analysis identified three populations (k = 3), that were not related to the phenotypic groups. Interestingly, a multiple allele background was identified within the groups using multilocus and phylogenetic relationship analyses. This is the first Peruvian report regarding E. oleifera that shows preliminary data of the morphological and yield traits and genetic data, and highlight the importance of this information to set up future steps to national breeding strategies and improve the conservation of genetic material of E. oleifera. Overall, these novel findings could contribute to the development of the local oil palm industry in Peru.

Comparative transcriptome analysis reveals novel insights into transcriptional responses to phosphorus starvation in oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) root

BackgroundPhosphorus (P), in its orthophosphate form (Pi) is an essential macronutrient for oil palm early growth development in which Pi deficiency could later on be reflected in lower biomass production. Application of phosphate rock, a non-renewable resource has been the common practice to increase Pi accessibility and maintain crop productivity in Malaysia. However, high fixation rate of Pi in the native acidic tropical soils has led to excessive utilization of P fertilizers. This has caused serious environmental pollutions and cost increment. Even so, the Pi deficiency response mechanism in oil palm as one of the basic prerequisites for crop improvement remains largely unknown.ResultsUsing total RNA extracted from young roots as template, we performed a comparative transcriptome analysis on oil palm responding to 14d and 28d of Pi deprivation treatment and under adequate Pi supply. By using Illumina HiSeq4000 platform, RNA-Seq analysis was successfully conducted on 12 paired-end RNA-Seq libraries and generated more than 1.2 billion of clean reads in total. Transcript abundance estimated by fragments per kilobase per million fragments (FPKM) and differential expression analysis revealed 36 and 252 genes that are differentially regulated in Pi-starved roots at 14d and 28d, respectively. Genes possibly involved in regulating Pi homeostasis, nutrient uptake and transport, hormonal signaling and gene transcription were found among the differentially expressed genes.ConclusionsOur results showed that the molecular response mechanism underlying Pi starvation in oil palm is complexed and involved multilevel regulation of various sensing and signaling components. This contribution would generate valuable genomic resources in the effort to develop oil palm planting materials that possess Pi-use efficient trait through molecular manipulation and breeding programs.

Fatty Acid Profile, Carcass and Meat Quality Attributes of Rabbit Breeds in Ghana Fed Diets with Graded Levels of Palm (Elaeis guineensis) Kernel Oil Residue

Fatty Acid Profile, Carcass and Meat Quality Attributes of Rabbit Breeds in Ghana Fed Diets with Graded Levels of Palm (Elaeis guineensis) Kernel Oil Residue

Selecting the most effective plant growth-promoting bacteria from oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq) roots

A total of 30 bacterial isolates were isolated from soil, rhizoplane, and internal tissue of oil palm roots. The isolates were qualitatively tested for their potential to fix N2, solubilize inorganic P and K, and produce phytohormone indole-3-acetic acid. Of the 30 isolates, six isolates were able to exhibit multiple beneficial traits. All six isolates were then identified based on fatty acid methyl esters profile as Escherichia coli strain EX2, Serratia sp. strain EN1, Pantoea ananatis strain EN3, Bacillus sp. strain EN5, Pantoea ananatis strain EN8 and Pantoea sp. strain EN9. Subsequently, all shortlisted isolates were evaluated for plant growth-promoting potential by using shallot as a test plant. The plant test showed no significant difference (p>0.05) between inoculated and uninoculated plants except for Pantoea sp. strain EN9 inoculation which increased significantly (p<0.05) total root length over uninoculated control. Host specificity and IAA capacity of the isolates may be among the important factors affecting their effectiveness in plant growth promotion.
 J Bangladesh Agril Univ 17(3): 344–348, 2019

Physicochemical characterisation of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) trunk syrup from the sap of different storage period as potential sweetener

Sap from the trunk of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) was processed into syrup in this study. Physicochemical properties of syrups produced from the sap of freshly cut oil palm trunks (OPT0syrup) and sap of trunks stored for 60 days (OPT60syrup) at ambient temperature were compared to nipa palm syrup (Nsyrup), maple syrup (Msyrup), and two commercial glucose syrups (G1syrup and G2syrup). The total soluble solids for the syrups (OPT0sy, OPT60sy, Nsy, Msy, G1sy and G2sy) were in the range of 66 to 82 ˚Brix. The sugar analysis indicated that glucose was the main sugar for OPT0sy and OPT60sy as 367 and 300 mg/g, respectively, whereby sucrose was the foremost sugar for Nsy and Msy. The colour of the syrups was ranked from the darkest to the lightest; OPT60syrup > OPT0syrup > Msyrup > Nsyrup > G1syrup > G2syrup. OPT0syrup and OPT60syrup achieved reducing capacity of 825 and 886 mg GAE/100 g, respectively, significantly higher than other syrups. The free radical scavenging activities of OPT0syrup and OPT60syrup were 74% and 70%, respectively. In conclusion, the oil palm trunk syrup has similar physicochemical properties with the commercial syrups, and it has the potential to be an alternative to the commercial sweeteners with added nutritional benefits.

Selection gains for bunch production in interspecific hybrids between “caiaué” and oil palm

Abstract: The objective of this work was to estimate selection gains for bunch production in hybrids obtained from “caiaué” (Elaeis oleifera) parents from the Manicoré population and oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) parents from the La Mé population, from the third to the eighth year after planting. Thirty-nine full-sibling progenies were evaluated in experiments conducted in a randomized complete block design, with four replicates and 12 plants per plot. The genetic gain estimates were 27.6% for the ten best selected F1 individuals, 13.7% for the four best selected progenies from parents of both sexes, 6.4% for the selected progenies of the five best male parents, 6.0% for the selected progenies of the two best families from male parents, and 4.0% for the selected progenies of the best descendants from male parents. Genetic gains for bunch production can be achieved, in the short term, through selection restricted to male parents, and, in the medium term, through selection of both male and female parents and cloning of F1 individuals.

HISTOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF INDIRECT SOMATIC EMBRYOGENESIS INDUCED FROM ROOT EXPLATS OF OIL PALM (Elaeis guineensis Jacq)

ABSTRACT Oil palm is economically important as a crop with high oil production. Indirect somatic embryogenesis in oil palm requires a long time for callus induction and plant formation, and it is important to study the embryogenic potential of calli and the mechanisms of somatic embryogenesis. The aim of this study was to test different growth regulators and spermine in induction of embryogenic calli in root explants of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq). Apex root explants of approximately 0.5 cm were isolated from plants cultivated in vitro and inoculated in Y3 culture medium in the following treatments: A - without growth regulators; B - 1 mg.L-1 picloram (4-amino-3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinecarboxylic acid); C - 1 mg.L-1 picloram and 2 mg.L-1 2ip (2-isopentenyladenine); D - 2 mg.L-1 2ip; E - 1 mg.L-1 picloram and 2 mg.L-1 BAP (6-benzylaminopurine); F - 2 mg.L-1 BAP; and G - 14.5 mg.L-1 spermine. After six months of culturing, the calli induced in the treatments were analyzed by light microscopy. The calli induced in the treatments with 1 mg.L-1picloram (B) and treatment with 14.5 mg.L-1spermine (G) exhibited embryogenic characteristics, small and isodiametric cells, forming agglomerates, besides a large amount of starch. Calli of the best treatment (Y3 com 1 mg.L-1 de picloram) were inoculated in Y3 culture medium without addition of growth regulators. After eight months, calli were once more analyzed under light microscopy. All the treatments showed callus formation, except for treatments D and A. Calli of treatment B exhibited cells with embryogenic characteristics that developed somatic embryos.

Transciptome profiling at early infection of Elaeis guineensis by Ganoderma boninense provides novel insights on fungal transition from biotrophic to necrotrophic phase

BackgroundBasal stem rot (BSR) caused by hemibiotroph Ganoderma boninense is a devastating disease resulting in a major loss to the oil palm industry. Since there is no physical symptom in oil palm at the early stage of G. boninense infection, characterisation of molecular defense responses in oil palm during early interaction with the fungus is of the utmost importance. Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) seedlings were artificially infected with G. boninense inoculums and root samples were obtained following a time-course of 0, 3, 7, and 11 days-post-inoculation (d.p.i) for RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and identification of differentially expressed genes (DEGs).ResultsThe host counter-attack was evidenced based on fungal hyphae and Ganoderma DNA observed at 3 d.p.i which became significantly reduced at 7 and 11 d.p.i. DEGs revealed upregulation of multifaceted defense related genes such as PR-protein (EgPR-1), protease inhibitor (EgBGIA), PRR protein (EgLYK3) chitinase (EgCht) and expansin (EgEXPB18) at 3 d.p.i and 7 d.p.i which dropped at 11 d.p.i. Later stage involved highly expressed transcription factors EgERF113 and EgMYC2 as potential regulators of necrotrophic defense at 11 d.p.i. The reactive oxygen species (ROS) elicitor: peroxidase (EgPER) and NADPH oxidase (EgRBOH) were upregulated and maintained throughout the treatment period. Growth and nutrient distribution were probably compromised through suppression of auxin signalling and iron uptake genes.ConclusionsBased on the analysis of oil palm gene expression, it was deduced that the biotrophic phase of Ganoderma had possibly occurred at the early phase (3 until 7 d.p.i) before being challenged by the fungus via switching its lifestyle into the necrotrophic phase at later stage (11 d.p.i) and finally succumbed the host. Together, the findings suggest the dynamic defense process in oil palm and potential candidates that can serve as phase-specific biomarkers at the early stages of oil palm-G. boninense interaction.

Absence of a molecular structural effect on the thermodynamic properties of several biodiesel materials

In the search to develop the production of vegetable oils for non-food purposes biodiesel stands out for its great versatility as technical material and a cleaner energy technology. Physic nut (Jatropha curcas), castor-oil (Ricinus communis), oil palm (Elaeis guineensis), wine palm (Attalea butyracea) and macaw palm (Acrocomia aculeata) were chosen for study in our laboratory, because they are oleaginous plants with convenient oil yields to produce biodiesel. No significant effect from the nature of fatty-acid chains in biodiesel is observed on thermodynamic properties such as heat of combustion, cubic-expansion thermal coefficient, isothermal compressibility, enthalpy of vaporisation and Hildebrand solubility parameter. Activation energies for viscous flow of biodiesels correlates with the same property of their vegetable oil feedstocks.

Process Hazard Analysis of Gasification Process by using Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch as Feedstock

Production of hydrogen rich gas from the gasification of biomass to replace fossil fuels has become a common interest worldwide. One of the potential biomass in Malaysia to produce hydrogen rich gas is empty fruit bunch (EFB) from oil palm (Elaeis guineensis). Numerous researchers have carried out studies on hydrogen production using biomass but there are limited researches on the hazards analysis incorporated in the gasification process of EFB. This paper presents the hazards identification and risk reduction of the gasification process by using EFB as a feedstock. The research aims to incorporate safety needs to the gasification process of EFB for safe operation in the future. The process hazards analysis has been carried out on process unit namely fire burner, feeding hopper, fluidised bed reactor and cyclone. The potential hazard, possible causes, risk and consequences of the process unit were analysed. Based on the analysis, the major hazards identified in the process are overpressure and over temperature followed by the release of hydrogen gases. Safe by design is the most effective risk reduction strategy since it can eliminate the hazards from the source by having inherently safer design of the hydrogen process plant.

Effect of Organic Matter Amendment on Lead Contamination in Roadside Soil and Plant

Lad Contamination in Roadside Soil and Plant and Effect of Organic Matter Amendment (Sabaruddin, D Budianta and Mardia): Roadside soils and plants may be the most important sink of lead (Pb). It has been widely known that soil organic matter (SOM) plays important roles in determining concentrations of metals in soil solution and their extractability from the soil. To investigate Pb contamination in the roadside soils and plants, as well as the effect of organic matter (OM) on the soluble Pb in the roadside soils, surface soils (0 to 20 cm) were collected from a busy road. The soils were incubated for 4 weeks under room temperature after being treated with 0, 30, 60 and 90 Mg ha-1 of OM. Leaves of oil palms (Elaeis guineensis) planted on the roadside were also analyzed for Pb content. Current study revealed that Pb content in roadside soils and leaves of oil palm was 1.5 and 5.5 times higher than the safe level of Pb in soil and plant. It confirms that both soil and plant at the study site were contaminated by Pb. Current study also showed that SOM amendment significantly (P<0.01) affected soluble Pb content in the soils. Adding OM to the soil at 30 Mg ha-1 to correct the level of SOC from very low to low was sufficient to significantly reduce soluble Pb in the soils. However, the application of 60 Mg ha-1 of OM triggered the increases in soluble Pb in the soils. Further increases in OM application to 90 Mg ha-1 resulted in significant increases in soluble Pb as compared with that in the soil receiving 30 Mg ha-1 of OM. In spite of the increases, the level of soluble Pb in the soils receiving 60 and 90 Mg ha-1 of OM was still much below the safe level of Pb in soil.

CHARACTERIZATION OF GENE KETOACYL-ACP SYNTHASE II (KAS II) β ON Elaeis guineensis, Elaeis oleifera, AND INTERSPECIFIC HYBRID

Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) is currently the highest edible oil-producing plant in the world. E. oleifera is another species of oil palm that is not widely cultivated due to lower productivity. Oil extracted from E. guineensis has a balance ratio of saturated to unsaturated fatty acids level, while E. oleifera has a higher unsaturated fatty acids. Long chain saturated fatty acids are more harmful for human health than unsaturated fatty acids. Gene encoding β-ketoacyl ACP synthase II (KAS II, EC 2.3.1.179) was studied, as this enzyme is responsible for biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids. Observation and analysis were conducted for KAS II gene and fatty acids content of E. guineensis represented by DxP Lame, DxP Langkat and CMR78 samples, E. oleifera represented by Suriname origin, and two hybrids (E. guineensis x E. oleifera (Brazil and Suriname)). The results showed E. oleifera Suriname had the highest concentration of oleic acid, followed by E. guineensis (CMR78). KAS II gene sequences alignment showed some genetic variation within E. guineensis and hybrids, while the high level of variation found between E. guineensis and E. oleifera was considered caused by species difference.

Effect of chemicals on disintegration of the operculum in oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) seeds for early germination

Effect of chemicals on disintegration of the operculum in oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) seeds for early germination

Germination of de-operculated oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) seed as affected by gibberellic acid (GA3)

Germination of de-operculated oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) seed as affected by gibberellic acid (GA3)

English

The factors that influenced elephants raiding in some spatial ranges around Kakum Conservation Area (KCA), Ghana were investigated. Crops were the basis for range selection by the elephants and the most commonly raided crops were plantain, cocoa and cassava. However, oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) plantations, bushes, crops at seedling and growing stages, or farms with active pepper fence never suffered any raid. It was observed that the presence of pawpaw (Carica papaya) and bako (Tieghemella heckelii) exposed nearby farms to risk. Since elephants do not raid oil palm plantations around KCA, we recommend that only oil palm groves should border the KCA to mitigate human-elephant conflict around KCA and that the pepper-fence method currently in use could also be effective if its accompanying financial burden is taken away from the farmers and funded by the government. Key words: Raided zone, oil palm plantation, pepper-fence, human-elephant conflict, protected areas.

Association of soil organic carbon with physically separated soil fractions in different land uses of Costa Rica

Studies on soil organic carbon (SOC) storage and stability require the separate assessment of soil fractions in relation to protection against loss. This on-farm study assessed the role of primary (sand, silt, and clay) and secondary (micro- and macroaggregates) particle size fractions on the physical protection of SOC to 30-cm depth of nine agricultural and three forest land uses within three contrasting ecoregions of Costa Rica (i.e., Isthmian-Atlantic moist, Pacific dry, and Montane forest). Specific objectives were to: (1) determine the effect of land use in each ecoregion on particulate organic matter carbon (POM-C), silt plus clay-associated carbon (S+C-C), and micro- and macroaggregate associated water-stable aggregate carbon (WSA-C), and (2) establish the relationships among aggregate properties and SOC concentration. Aggregate stability was characterized by studying the WSA, mean weight diameter (MWD), and tensile strength (TS). Soils under coffee (Coffea arabica), oil palm (Elaeis guineensis), and pineapple (Ananas comosus) plantations had high clay contents to 30-cm depth (ranging between 42.9 and 60.7%), which indicated a high potential for SOC storage. In comparison to less disturbed forest soils, micro- and macroaggregation was not strongly affected by agricultural land use. At coffee and pasture land uses, POM-C concentration was significantly lower (ranging between 0.4 and 2.0 g C kg−1). Between 58 and 98% of SOC was associated with S+C fractions indicating the importance of these particle size fractions to SOC storage. The S+C-C and micro- and macroaggregate-C concentrations differed mainly among pineapple, mango (Mangifera indica), pasture, and other land uses within ecoregions. Further, there was no general tendency of higher C concentrations in the macro- vs. the microaggregate fractions in contrast to the aggregate hierarchy theory. The MWD was affected by land use only for pineapple and organic farming, and it decreased for mango and coffee with increase in soil depth. Correlations among SOC, texture, and TS were site-specific. Silt content was more important than the other particle size fractions in explaining SOC contents. In summary, the amount of physically separated soil fractions and their C storage and stability to 30-cm depth differed mainly among pineapple, mango, pasture, and coffee in specific ecoregions. Well-designed long-term field experiments in Costa Rica are needed to develop management practices for enhancing SOC storage and stabilization in physically separated soil fractions.