ABSTRACT
The effect of three basal media, namely; Murashige and Skoog (MS), Gamborg et al. (B5), and Eeuwens (Y3) were assessed for mass propagation of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq. var. Dura, Pisifera and Tenera) zygotic embryos in vitro. The experimental design was a 3 x
4 factorial in a completely randomized design with each treatment consisting of ten replicates. The embryos were excised under aseptic conditions and cultured on each of the three basal media as well as control which were devoid of salts of the basal media. The growth and development of oil palm embryos were affected by the type of media and the variety (Dura, Pisifera and Tenera) involved as all the basal media used regenerated plantlets directly from mature zygotic embryos of oil palm. For Dura variety, Y3 medium gave the best result for fresh weight (0.15 ± 0.01g), shoot length (0.77 ± 0.13 cm), leaf area (0.49 ±
0.10 cm2 ), and number of leaves (1.50 ± 0.22); B5 medium gave the highest sprout rate (0,11
± 0.01) and per cent sprouting (86.67 ± 6.67) while MS medium had the best result for root length (2.31 ± 0.25 cm). For pisifera variety, Y3 medium was significantly superior at P
≤0.05 to MS and B5 in fresh weight (0.15 ± 0.02 g), shoot length (0.83 ± 0.08 cm), root length (1.90 ± 0.39 cm), leaf area (0.52 ± 0.06 cm2), number of leaves (1.40 ± 0.16), and per cent sprouting (100.00 ± 0.00) while for Tenera variety, B5 medium produced the best results for all the parameters. The protocol reported in this work can be used for large scale
propagation and production of true-to-type oil palm plants within a short period of time.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Economic growth and prosperity are central to long-term poverty alleviation for social and environmental sustainability. The oil palm industry represents one of the most effective avenues for poverty alleviation, food security and ensuring economic stability. It is one of the most efficient oil bearing crops in the world with average yield of 7 to 8 tons of crude oil per hectare (Te-Chato and Hilae, 2007).
As the most efficient oil bearing plant in the world, the oil palm provides one of the leading vegetable oils produced globally, accounting for one-quarter of global consumption and approximately 60 per cent of international trade in vegetable oils (Coley and Tinker, 2003; Nellemann et al., 2007; World Bank, 2010). The oil palm industry has the prospects of providing employment for millions of unskilled and semi-skilled people (Patrick et al; 2013) as demonstrated in many economies, with proper focus on production of commodities of large scale commercial values. Therefore, improvement in the production of oil palm can effectively mitigate the poverty in the world, especially Nigeria. Hence there is need for mass propagation of oil palm through tissue culture to meet the global demand (UNCTAD, 2012).
Between 1970 and 2010, demand for palm oil grew by 2.5 million tonnes (mt) per year and this trend continued till date, to satisfy both food requirements and for biofuels (UNCTAD,
2012) making palm oil the most traded oil in the world. From a production level of 1.6% and a consumption level of 6% in 1976, global palm oil production and consumption has grown to 28% in 2009 to become the world’s largest produced and consumed oil. The technical and economic advantage of palm oil over other oils and fats, especially soybean oil, is the main driver of this increase (Oyeleye, 2012). Palm oil recorded its fastest increase in global production and consumption due to the significant contributions by Malaysia and Indonesia, which are today, the leading producers and exporters of palm oil in the world. As the world
population continues to grow, so will the demand for oil palm increase and as such, oil palm will continue to be cultivated worldwide.
The need to reduce global carbon dioxide emission caused by fossil fuel has led to an increasing need for vegetable oils as viable alternatives globally. Palm oil is currently considered the most productive source of biodiesel fuel (Nellemann et al., UNEP, 2011) and hence, a promising alternative model for its production. It is predicted that European Union will double its consumption of biodiesel from 11.1 billion litres in 2010 to 20.9 billion in
2020 with biodiesel representing 7.9% of energy (UNCTAD, 2012).
Before the 1960s, agriculture accounted for more than 60 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and over 70 per cent of total export earnings, engaging about 70 per cent of Nigerian workforce (Oyejide et al., 2003). Specifically, oil palm, cocoa, groundnut, rubber, and cotton were the main sources of the country’s export earnings at independence (Oyaide, 2004). From being the world’s leading producer and exporter of palm oil in the 1960s, Nigeria has fallen to being a net importer owing to the inability to produce enough palm oil to meet the growing domestic demand (Eshalomi, 2009). The decline of the oil palm industry in Nigeria was as a result of the ‘petroleum boom’ which continued to take precedence over agricultural production since crude oil was more economically valuable. Therefore, little investments were made in agriculture, and those producers who did return to their farms, continued exploiting old plantings without seeking to improve their outputs.
These factors effectively facilitated the drop in production of oil palm produce (Ladé, 2007). There is also a slow growth in productivity (supply) in recent times which is caused mainly by aging plantations and declining yield with no replanting plans, over-reliance on traditional production methods, as well as disease attack (Oyeleye, 2012). These reasons call for increasing productivity of oil palm through tissue culture which is an efficient and effective
method for rapid multiplication of uniform planting material with high genetic potential (Mgbeze and Iserhienrhien, 2014). Plant regeneration of oil palm through culture in vitro has been reported by several researchers (Te-Chato et al., 2002). A reliable and efficient procedure for propagation of elite in vitro clones has the potential to increase yields significantly. Tissue culture is the growing of cells, tissues, organs or whole plant under controlled nutritional and environmental conditions often to produce the clones of plants. The resultant clones are true-to-type of the selected genotype (Thorpe, 2007). Clonal palms are expected to eventually replace seed-derived planting materials on a commercial scale.
Clonal micropropagation is a viable means of rapid multiplication of elite genotype with desirable characteristics. The biological characteristics of oil palm do not allow its vegetative propagation by conventional horticultural means such as cutting, budding, grafting, and suckers. Therefore its breeding is limited by several factors. Firstly, it has a single growing point and does not produce offshoots like some other palm species as all the auxillary buds form inflorescences (Mgbeze and Iserhienrhien, 2014). Secondly, high heterogeneity is observed among hybrids, as well as low planting density. Thirdly, oil palm has relatively low seed- germination rate and there are difficulties in seedling establishment. In addition, oil palm is only seed propagated and there is no classical vegetative propagation technique available (Corley, 1982; Duval et al., 1994). Lastly, they are perennial crops and about ten years are required to assess the value of a progeny (Duval et al., 1993; Muniran et al., 2008) and also the genetic improvement of oil palm through conventional breeding is extremely slow and costly, as the breeding cycle can take up to 10 years. In vitro propagation through tissue culture of embryos bridges these gaps and offers solutions to such possible problems. This is because embryo culture technique has been used in overcoming embryo inviability and the constraint to seed germination (seed dormancy) caused by the seed coat and endosperm; reduction of germination time; production of interspecific and intergeneric
hybrids and also to provide a long-term storage of germplasm in a disease-and-insect free form (Okezie and Okonkwo, 1992)
Improving the local capacity of palm oil production would not only impact positively on food security and local economy, it also portends huge prospects for future exports that will advance our economy (Oyeleye, 2012). Therefore, aims and the objectives of this work are:
1. To develop a protocol for the regeneration of oil palms embryo in vitro using three different culture media.
2. To determine the differential sprouting response of embryos from three varieties of oil palm to three different culture media
3. To determine the differences in vegetative growth parameters of plantlets sprouted from three varieties of oil palm to three different media.
This material content is developed to serve as a GUIDE for students to conduct academic research
COMPARATIVE GROWTH RATES OF THREE VARIETIES OF ELAEIS GUINEENSIS JACQ. ON THE BASAL MEDIA OF MURASHIGE AND SKOOG GAMBORG ET AL AND EEUWENS
A1Project Hub Support Team Are Always (24/7) Online To Help You With Your Project
Chat Us on WhatsApp » 09063590000
DO YOU NEED CLARIFICATION? CALL OUR HELP DESK:
09063590000 (Country Code: +234)
YOU CAN REACH OUR SUPPORT TEAM VIA MAIL: [email protected]
09063590000 (Country Code: +234)
