Identification of factors that determine carbohydrate content in old oil palm trees

- Contributing to the efficient utilization of discarded old oil palm trees -

A joint research team from JIRCAS and the Universiti Sains Malaysia has identified environmental factors that alter the amount of photosynthetically derived carbohydrates accumulation in old palm trees. Felled old palm trees, which are cut down after about 25 years due to inefficient production of fruit bunches, are left in plantations and become a source of soil diseases and greenhouse gases. Effective utilization of old palm trees can help to solve environmental problems. However, in order to produce biogas and biodegradable materials, it is desirable for old palm trees to accumulate more non-structural carbohydrates. In this study, we analyzed the relationship between temperature and rainfall and the amount of non-structural carbohydrates (starch and free sugars) and fruit bunches on the trunk, which are the temporary storage for materials produced by photosynthesis, and found that the amount of non-structural carbohydrates increased during periods of slightly lower temperatures and higher rainfall in the study site in Penang, Malaysia.

The results of this research were published in the electronic version of the international scientific journal Scientific Reports on January 20, 2020.

Authors

Tani N, Abdul Hamid ZA, Joseph N, Sulaiman O, Hashim R, Arai T, Satake A, Kondo T and Kosugi A

Title

Small temperature variations are a key regulator of reproductive growth and assimilate storage in oil palm (Elaeis guineensis)

Journal

Scientific Reports (2020) 10, Article number: 650
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-57170-8

JIRCAS President: IWANAGA Masa 
Program Director: YAMAMOTO Yukiyo
Principal Investigators: TANI Naoki (Forestry Division), KOSUGI Akihiko (Biological Resources and Post-harvest Division)
Press Coordinator：YAMASAKI Seishi (Head, Information and Public Relations Office)
E-mail：koho-jircas@ml.affrc.go.jp