Introducing Orion Biosains Dna Testing And The Impact It Has On The Oil Palm Industry

Background Information:

Due to the fact that tenera palms produce 30-36% more oil than dura palms , the purity of oil palm planting materials is crucial for plantation companies to maximize oil extraction rates at the CPO mill and thereby achieve peak operating profit. The standard process for the production of oil palm planting materials involves carefully controlled crosses of dura (maternal palms – with 70% yield) and pisifera (paternal palms – with little to no yield) to generate high-yielding hybrid tenera seed (with 100% yield). However, absolute control of this breeding process is difficult, resulting in the unintended planting of palms that will produce non-tenera fruits with suboptimal yield. Therefore the planting of contaminant non-tenera palms decreases the plantation’s financial performance for the entire 20 to 30 year life of newly planted material.

SureSawit™ Shell Enables Near 100% Tenera Planting:

With the recent completion of the oil palm genome sequence and the discovery of the SHELL gene by the MPOB and Orion, it is now possible to utilize DNA testing to enable near 100% tenera plantings. Orion Biosains SDN BHD offers SureSawit™ SHELL screening services, the first DNA-based oil palm seedling purity test in the world. This innovative service was recently identified by the BBC as one of the 8 most innovative technologies developed in the world in 2016 (http://www.bbc.com/news/ business-36244547). The service enables seed producers, growers and plantation owners to identify and confirm the fruit-form of palm seedlings as early as the pre-nursery stage. Therefore upon receiving screened planting materials, plantations can be assured that the seedlings they plant in the field will be near 100% tenera and will produce optimal yield.

SureSawit SHELL Screening Test

The SureSawit SHELL screening test consists of a sample collection kit, semi-automated DNA isolation and high through-put genotyping. Using a patent pending leaf sample collection device, nursery or plantation workers can easily and quickly collect leaf samples and tag the trees. These samples are sent to Orion Biosains’ cutting edge testing laboratory where they are processed and a confidential report is generated informing the customer which trees are dura, pisifera or tenera.

Quantifying Gains Possible with DNA Certified Tenera Planting:

Utilizing SureSawit-SHELL Technology, the MPOB and Orion recently published the non-tenera contamination levels present in oil palm planting sites throughout Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak.

The study found that: • >11.0% - Of all palms tested were the low yielding non-tenera type

• >10.0% - Contamination was found in certified nurseries in all 7 regions tested in Malaysia

• >15.0% - Contamination was the average of all certified nurseries tested in 3 of 7 regions

• >20.0% - Contamination was the average of all certified nurseries tested in 2 of 7 regions

• >25.0% - Contamination was found in one fifth of certified nurseries tested throughout Malaysia

• >63.0% - Contamination was found in a single certified nursery

The study concluded that: • The operating profits of the oil palm industry could increase by billions of Ringgit annually if 100% pure tenera planting could be achieved.

• Many industry members may be planting some amount of low OER material unknowingly, compromising their organizational operating profit for decades.

In addition to the significant economic impact of the SHELL testing, there are the obvious social and ecological impacts of being able to reduce planting area by increasing oil yield per palm planted.

The application of the SHELL test is just one example of the DNA tests that Orion Biosains is bringing to the oil palm industry. The company is currently in the final stages of implementing Karma testing to predict the mantled -abnormality which will allow for the culling of clonal ramets destined to yield unproductive abnormal fruits years after field planting. This will then be followed by implementation of VIR genetic testing for fruit colour phenotype which facilitates the development of elite breeding lines with a natural color

indicator for fruit ripening.

You can learn more about Orion Biosains and all of its products by visiting www.orionbiosains.com