International Journal of Agricultural Sciences

Review

Breeding oil palm (Elaeis guineensis jacq.) for fusarium wilt tolerance: an overview of research programmes and seed production potentialities in Cameroon

Ngando Ebongue Georges Frank²*, Etta Cullbertson Enow¹, Ntsomboh Godswill Ntsefong², Oben Tom Tabi¹

¹Lobe Research Department, Pamol Plantations Plc, P.O. Box 5483 Akwa Douala, Cameroon

²La Dibamba specialized Centre for Oil Palm Research (CEREPAH), P. O. Box 243 Douala, Cameroon

*Corresponding author E-mail: [email protected]

Accepted 29 May 2013

Abstract

With about 39% of world production of vegetable oils, palm oil is currently the most important vegetable oil commodity in the world. Despite a contribution of less than 1% to world production, palm oil covers about 90% of edible oil needs in Cameroon. The Government has set up a development plan aimed at increasing current palm oil production through massive plantings. However, the occurrence of Fusarium wilt disease may seriously thwart these efforts, as it is the main threat to the development of palm plantations in Africa. Early breeding programmes designed to produce wilt tolerant seeds have been undertaken by the two national seed producers, PAMOL and CEREPAH La Dibamba. Fusarium wilt resistant seeds produced by CEREPAH derives from crosses between Dabou Deli x La Me BPROs, particularly DA115 D selfs x LM2T selfs. CEREPAH’s current annual wilt tolerant seed production is about 1,000,000 units, despite a production capacity of about 5 million. At PAMOL, Fusarium wilt tolerant seeds are mainly derived from crosses between Ekona x Ekona and Ekona x Binga BPROs, particularly descendants of Lb2/2311T. For the past years, average annual production was about 200,000 despite a potential of more than 1 million.

Key words: Fusarium wilt, Elaeis guineensis Jacq., disease tolerance, seed production, oil palm breeding.