The oil palm SHELL gene controls oil yield and encodes a homologue of SEEDSTICK

Abstract

A key event in the domestication and breeding of the oil palm, Elaeis guineensis, was loss of the thick coconut-like shell surrounding the kernel. Modern E. guineensis has three fruit forms, dura (thick-shelled), pisifera (shell-less) and tenera (thin-shelled), a hybrid between dura and pisifera1–4. The pisifera palm is usually female-sterile but the tenera yields far more oil than dura, and is the basis for commercial palm oil production in all of Southeast Asia5. Here, we describe the mapping and identification of the Shell gene responsible for the different fruit forms. Using homozygosity mapping by sequencing we found two independent mutations in the DNA binding domain of a homologue of the MADS-box gene SEEDSTICK (STK) which controls ovule identity and seed development in Arabidopsis. The Shell gene is responsible for the tenera phenotype in both cultivated and wild palms from sub-Saharan Africa, and our findings provide a genetic explanation for the single gene heterosis attributed to Shell, via heterodimerization. This gene mutation explains the single most important economic trait in oil palm, and has implications for the competing interests of global edible oil production, biofuels and rainforest conservation6.

PEMANFAATAN TEKNOLOGI GENOMIKA DAN TRANSFORMASI GENETIK UNTUK MENINGKATKAN PRODUKTIVITAS KELAPA SAWIT / The Use of Genomic and Genetic Transformation Technologies for Oil Palm Productivity Improvement

“…merupakan tanaman penghasil minyak nabati yang paling produktif di dunia apabila dibandingkan dengan jenis tanaman penghasil minyak nabati lainnya seperti kanola, kelapa, kedelai, dan bunga matahari. Walaupun kelapa sawit hanya ditanam pada areal sekitar 5% dari total areal tanaman penghasil minyak nabati dunia, tetapi kelapa sawit mampu menghasilkan sekitar 33% dari total produksi minyak nabati dunia dan menghasilkan sekitar 45% dari total produksi minyak makan dunia (Singh et al, 2013b;Pootakham et al, 2015).…”

“…Pada tahun yang sama, pertanaman kanola seluas 36,4 juta ha hanya mampu menghasilkan minyak kanola 23,6 juta ton (Singh et al, 2013b;Barcelos et al, 2015). Dengan demikian kelapa sawit diharapkan mampu memenuhi pertumbuhan permintaan minyak nabati dunia dalam jumlah besar dengan volume permintaan yang diperkirakan mencapai 240 juta ton minyak nabati pada tahun 2050 (Corley, 2009).…”

Revisiting Domestication to Revitalize Crop Improvement: The Florigen Revolution

“…Sh/Sh (dura) fruit have a lignified thick shell surrounding the kernel but sh/sh (pisifera) gives rise to a shell-less fruit form. The hybrid palms (Sh/sh) have a thin shelled fruit form (tenera) that result in a considerably higher yield because intermediate fruit forms give rise to a distinct fiber ring and oil palm seed with a thin shell (Singh et al 2013).…”

Policy: Define biomass sustainability

“…The oil-palm crop is also more effective at sequestering carbon than other major crops. Using genomics in selective breeding offers great potential for improvements to the economics of palm-oil production 5 .…”