Our company Cirad is member and coordinator of the Oil Palm Genome Projects (OPGP) International Consortium.

The OPGP CONSORTIUM is an association of fifteen private and public entities for developing and exploiting genomic resources in oil palm within OPGP R&D&I projects (Oil Palm Genomic Projects). The developed tools and resources are used by the participating companies to improve and speed up their respective oil palm breeding programs regarding notably palm oil yield and quality, genetic resistances to diseases, lower operating costs and sustainability of large-scale or small holders’ plantations. Innovative research studies of the oil palm and of its wild relative E. oleifera from South-America are performed.

Within a previous OPGP A project, over 2.3 million cDNAs from a total of 49 libraries were obtained. These libraries were derived from different tissues of several E. guineensis and E. oleifera genetic origins, as well as libraries from different developmental stages and from different abiotic and biotic stress conditions. Nearly 5000 intra gene SSR markers and over 16000 functional intra gene SNP markers were developed, as well as over 8000 GBS SNP markers. A projection genetic map in oil palm which is composed of several integrated maps and aligned with the pseudomolecule sequences of the published oil palm genome has been established. This projection map contains 295 QTLs for productive traits, morphological traits, bunch components and oil quantity and quality traits. This allows the mapping of any marker or gene of interest to this map and to perform an efficient co-location analysis with QTLs for candidate gene detection.

Finally, the OPGP A project has developed its own whole genome sequence (WGS) of oil palm by using ultimate sequencing and assembling technologies. This highly accurate WGS contains also the 16 pseudomolecules corresponding to the 16 chromosomes of oil palm. Over 30000 genes have been predicted and annotated on the WGS.

Currently a second OPGP Project, OPGP B, is in execution. The actual Partners of this project are:

1. Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD), FRANCE, Coordinator
2. Instituto Vasco de Investigación y Desarrollo Agrario (NEIKER), SPAIN, Vice-Coordinator
3. PT ASTRA AGRO LESTARI Tbk, INDONESIA
4. PT Inti Indosawit Subur and its affiliates (ASIAN AGRI GROUP), INDONESIA
5. Centro de Investigaciones en Palma de Aceite (CENIPALMA), COLOMBIA
6. GENTING Plantations Berhad, MALAYSIA
7. IOI Corporation Berhad, MALAYSIA
8. Indonesian Oil Palm Research Institute (IOPRI), INDONESIA
9. PT Matahari Kahuripan Indonesia (MAKIN), INDONESIA
10. PT SMART Tbk, INDONESIA
11. PT SAMPOERNA AGRO Tbk, INDONESIA
12. SOCFIN Group, LUXEMBURG

While in OPGP A the mentioned resources were generated and potential candidate genes (CG) were detected, OPGP B focusses more on genome wide approaches and the analyses of Single Nucleotid Polymorphim (SNP) markers or the allelic variation of Candidate Genes of agronomic interest and the effects on the expression of traits of interest through association mapping or genomic selection.

The general objective of OPGP B is in the very short term the genomic selection in oil palm to accelerate the creation of more efficient commercial varieties, in particular more yielding in palm oil and resistant to major diseases. Also, OPGP B actively prepares the future of the oil palm with totally novel elite varieties, making use of the favourable genes of E. oleifera allowing decreasing drastically manpower costs in palm oil plantations while increasing the palm oil yield, quality and stability in various agro-climatic environments, sub consequently increasing the net profitability of the palm oil producers.

To achieve this goal, the specific objectives of OPGP B are to validate gene markers for agronomic traits of interest in E. guineensis and E. oleifera-derived genetic materials, and to produce new reference knowledge needed for the intra-specific marker assisted selection in oil palm as well as for the inter-specific selection of oil palm varieties making use of the E. oleifera gene resources.

The research roadmap of the OPGP members is in fact a long term plan foreseeing the reach of growers totally novel oil palm varieties they want to cultivate without having ever dare to imagine being able to plant, considering the future context of a more sustainable oil palm agro-industry.

To satisfy a growing demand for oil, it takes much less oil palm surfaces than any other oil crop, while the most pressing challenges related directly to the palm oil industry are to reduce deforestation and pressure on natural biodiversity, and to adopt agricultural practices with low environmental impact (ICOP, 2014). It means intensify oil palm yields though sustainable operating systems respectful of the environment, also within the context of planet climate changes.

Beside that, the profitability of oil palm plantations depends heavily on operating costs such like the labor cost, that of inputs particularly of fertilizers (about 60% of all operating costs), and pre- or post-harvest losses due to natural (eg diseases, pests, drought) or technical causes. Yet, the exploitation of plantations being damned to be poorly mechanized, reduce the labor cost is one of the planters’ priorities. Reduce fertilizers costs keeping same yield levels is another priority. Exploit oil palm varieties more resistant to major diseases and pests as well to climatic alea is obvious. Of course, the palm oil world market is not only a matter of demand and of best competitive prices but also of crude palm oil (CPO) qualities versus other vegetal oils. Enlarge the panel of CPO qualities regarding the human consumption requirements or a use for biofuels is crucial for increasing the palm oil market. All these goals are priorities of the OPGP members.

Future oil palm varieties made by OPGP members are expected to go through major changes from now to 2050, by a biotech-based breeding of both species E. guineensis and E. oleifera allowing drastic “selection jumps”. This biotech-based breeding is combining the DNA markers, NGS-based sequencing, genetic selection and in vitro culture technologies combined to latest High-Tech phenotypic characterization. The productivity in palm oil will largely approach the plant physiological potential. The low stem growth and reduced bulkiness make palm trees orchards leading to a less costly harvest. The reduced harvest frequency (as low as once a month) will be possible thanks to non-shedding fruits. A low lipase activity in the pulp of mature fruits will ensure a palm oil without significant free acids for bunches rendered to the factory, securing the field production without economic loss. Varieties with up to 90% oleic acid will be released for a new niche market and this novel tropical "olive-like" palm oil will be sold at far better price on the table of most people in the world, dethroning the privileged market of the more expensive Mediterranean olive oil. The oil palm cultivation will be or best intensified in current planted areas either expanded in new regions notably in South America thanks to interspecific varieties, while preserving most natural forests notably by judiciously converting large pastures into oil palm groves.