Oil palm genetic resources in Nigeria: a review
2006
Ataga, C. D. | Okwuagwu, C. O. | Okolo, E. C.
The oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jaq.) is endemic to the entire Guinean zone of Africa as wild or semi-wild grove populations. The breeding material being exploited comes from a limited number of palms and consequently has a limited genetic base for long term breeding.Over the years several attempts have been made to enlarge the genetic base of the breeding materials through:*selection within grove palms at Calabar, Aba and Ufuma. *Prospection carried out in the coastal and inland areas of the Eastern part of Nigeria. *the NIFOR/MARDI Joint prospection in 45 locations from the Nigeria oil palm belt. *collection of 80 accessions from the marginal zone of Nigeria.The oil palm germplasm resources have not been limited to the selections from Nigeria. Various accessions from different parts of the world-the Deli (Serdang, United Plantations Malaysia, IRHO and Banting), Ghana, Zaire (INEAC), Zanzibar, Malagasy and Jamaica have added considerably to the genetic base of breeding materials.As a result of the perceived threat of genetic erosion, collections are essential to the oil palm industry for germplasm conservation and also to broaden the genetic base of the current breeding materials.
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