Identification of oil palm tissue culture contaminants by using DNA barcodes: preliminary results

Abstract

The success of oil palm tissue culture is constrained by the microbes contaminating cultures in the laboratory. Accurate identification of contaminant species leads to the right strategies for solving the contamination problem. This research was done to identify contaminant species at the Indonesian Oil Palm Research Institute Tissue Culture Laboratory at its stages by using DNA barcodes. Bacteria identification was done by 16S rRNA sequencing, while fungi identification was done by ITS region sequencing. Preliminary results showed that bacteria and fungi were identified in the laboratory’s stages of the tissue culture process. Four species were identified in the dark room, two in the light room, and four in the advanced light room. The identified bacteria were Bacillus subtilis, Streptococcus parasuis, Priestia megaterium, and Bacillus sp. The identified fungi were Tritirachium candoliense, Penicillium citrinum, Irpex laceratus, Aspergillus reticulatus, and Perenniporia tephropora. More data is needed to determine the right strategies to control the contamination problem.