Field testing - trialling - of oil palm is subject to many factors, chief among them being the basic biological features of the crop (it is a long-lived perennial) and the traits to be assessed (mainly yield, thus mature palms need to be produced). Trialling is the next step after breeders have...

Standard health and safety protocols are needed in all breeding trial activities, and these include activities in the field, nursery and the laboratory. The official standards can vary depending on country and regulations, but good standards should be maintained whatever requirements are officially ...

Before trialling can begin, various considerations and preparations need to be made. First it is beneficial to know if the trait of interest is governed mainly by genetic or environmental factors. If the trait is controlled by genes which are little affected by the environment then field trials may ...

Previous land use determines the operations needed in preparing land for trialling. Trialling in primary and secondary forest is not a sustainable nor an environmentally friendly practice and should not be carried out. In sustainable oil palm production, previous land should normally be a previous...

The aim of oil palm trialling is to evaluate field performance among a range of genotypes and to select those of interest. A basic necessity is the provision of good quality planting material, usually produced from deliberate cross-pollinations. Details of methods in pre-trialling activities, i.e....

A brief introduction to selection is given. This is based on a natural process, but breeders aim to accelerate it by screening selected palms within and between genotypes or progenies under field conditions. Breeding is only effective if the trait of interest is controlled genetically (traits that...

Careful recording is an important component of field trialling. In addition to the target traits of interest, all conditions that appear during the trial should be recorded as well as anything unusual or noteworthy. All the data are used in assessing the value of the materials being tested....

Ganoderma is the most important disease of oil palm in Southeast Asia. Resistance/tolerance to Ganoderma is therefore a major target for breeders and for field trialling. Methods for setting up and carrying out Ganoderma field trials are provided. Land preparation procedures are similar to those...

DNA analysis provides an opportunity to screen for certain traits prior to field planting. This is particularly important in screening for shell thickness. The shell thickness gene (Sh) is probably the most valuable gene in oil palm breeding and commerce. Pre-field planting screening is important...

This manual describes practices conducted in the pre-nursery and the main nursery from the reception of germinated seed- or tissue-culture produced ramets to the production of high-quality field-ready plants. These practices involve nursery set-up, soil preparation, sowing, potting-on, watering,...