Breeding of Fruit and Plantation Crops 2 + 1

Germplasm Collection

• World Collection: Search for assemblage of germplasm in oil palm started after the Second World War. The first collection of E. guineensis was established at Nigerian Institute for Oil-Palm Research (NIFOR) during 1961-1964. Subsequently prospection for genetic materials was taken up at Ivory Coast, Palm Oil Research Institute of Malaysia (PORIM) and at Republic of Zaire. A large germplasm was gathered at PORIM and the collections from Nigeria provided valuable genes for high yield, dwarfism and un saturation. The Elaeis oleifera germplasm was assembled by PORIM, International Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (IBPGR) and United Brands Company in Central America from Central and South America, Surinam, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Brazil.

• Indian Collection: Oil palm was introduced to India to¬wards the end of the 19th century out of botancial curiosity. Systematic collection of oil palm materials was initiat¬ed during 1960s by the Department of Agriculture, Kerala. They introduced material from Malaysia and Nigeria which consisted of Dura x dura, Dura x tenera, Dura x Pisifera and Tenera x Tenera were planted at Oil Palm Station at Thodupuzha, Kerala. Active collection of oil palm acces¬sions was taken up by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research during 1979 and ex-situ field gene banks consist¬ing of accessions from 11 countries are maintained at National Research Centre for Oil Palm, Pedavegi (Andhra Pradesh), and Research Centre of NRC for Oil Palm, Palode (Kerala). A cold tolerant accession of oil palm is available at CPCRI Research Centre, Mohitnagar, West Bengal.