Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) seed characteristics and germination potential as influenced by maturity stage and fruitlet position on a bunch

Oil palm is mainly propagated through dura × pisifera hybrid (DxP) seeds. In the natural environment, oil palm seeds require more than eight months of storage to achieve 25% germination due to a combination of morphological and physiological dormancy. Therefore, improvement in terms of the percentag...

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Main Authors: Ghazali, Mohd Norsazwan, Sinniah, Uma Rani, Namasivayam, Parameswari
Format: Article
Published: Malaysian Palm Oil Board 2024
Online Access:http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/109420/
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author Ghazali, Mohd Norsazwan
Sinniah, Uma Rani
Namasivayam, Parameswari
author_facet Ghazali, Mohd Norsazwan
Sinniah, Uma Rani
Namasivayam, Parameswari
author_sort Ghazali, Mohd Norsazwan
building UPM Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Oil palm is mainly propagated through dura × pisifera hybrid (DxP) seeds. In the natural environment, oil palm seeds require more than eight months of storage to achieve 25% germination due to a combination of morphological and physiological dormancy. Therefore, improvement in terms of the percentage of germination, uniformity and reduction in time to germination will benefit seed producers tremendously. In this study, the effect of harvesting at three maturity stages (18, 20 and 22 weeks after pollination or WAP) and six seed positions within a bunch (Proximal-Base, Proximal-Apex, Middle-Base, Middle-Apex, Distal-Apex and Distal-Base) on seed characteristics and germination potential were evaluated in a split-plot design. Seeds harvested at 20 WAP had 80% black-coloured seeds with the highest germination of 85.1%, compared with 70.5% and 80.9% at 18 and 22 WAP, respectively. Increasing seed maturity from 18 to 20 WAP showed more seeds shifting from semi-white and white to black (up to 40% more). Seeds located at the base region of the spikelet were smaller in size and were predominantly white with no differences in germination capacity.
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institution Universiti Putra Malaysia
institution_category Local University
last_indexed 2025-11-15T14:03:34Z
publishDate 2024
publisher Malaysian Palm Oil Board
recordtype eprints
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spelling upm-1094202024-08-05T03:15:02Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/109420/ Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) seed characteristics and germination potential as influenced by maturity stage and fruitlet position on a bunch Ghazali, Mohd Norsazwan Sinniah, Uma Rani Namasivayam, Parameswari Oil palm is mainly propagated through dura × pisifera hybrid (DxP) seeds. In the natural environment, oil palm seeds require more than eight months of storage to achieve 25% germination due to a combination of morphological and physiological dormancy. Therefore, improvement in terms of the percentage of germination, uniformity and reduction in time to germination will benefit seed producers tremendously. In this study, the effect of harvesting at three maturity stages (18, 20 and 22 weeks after pollination or WAP) and six seed positions within a bunch (Proximal-Base, Proximal-Apex, Middle-Base, Middle-Apex, Distal-Apex and Distal-Base) on seed characteristics and germination potential were evaluated in a split-plot design. Seeds harvested at 20 WAP had 80% black-coloured seeds with the highest germination of 85.1%, compared with 70.5% and 80.9% at 18 and 22 WAP, respectively. Increasing seed maturity from 18 to 20 WAP showed more seeds shifting from semi-white and white to black (up to 40% more). Seeds located at the base region of the spikelet were smaller in size and were predominantly white with no differences in germination capacity. Malaysian Palm Oil Board 2024-03 Article PeerReviewed Ghazali, Mohd Norsazwan and Sinniah, Uma Rani and Namasivayam, Parameswari (2024) Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) seed characteristics and germination potential as influenced by maturity stage and fruitlet position on a bunch. Journal of Oil Palm Research, 36 (1). pp. 94-103. ISSN 2811-4701 http://jopr.mpob.gov.my/oil-palm-ielaeis-guineensisi-seed-characteristics-and-germination-potential-as-influenced-by-maturity-stage-and-fruitlet-position-on-a-bunch/ 10.21894/jopr.2023.0014
spellingShingle Ghazali, Mohd Norsazwan
Sinniah, Uma Rani
Namasivayam, Parameswari
Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) seed characteristics and germination potential as influenced by maturity stage and fruitlet position on a bunch
title Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) seed characteristics and germination potential as influenced by maturity stage and fruitlet position on a bunch
title_full Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) seed characteristics and germination potential as influenced by maturity stage and fruitlet position on a bunch
title_fullStr Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) seed characteristics and germination potential as influenced by maturity stage and fruitlet position on a bunch
title_full_unstemmed Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) seed characteristics and germination potential as influenced by maturity stage and fruitlet position on a bunch
title_short Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) seed characteristics and germination potential as influenced by maturity stage and fruitlet position on a bunch
title_sort oil palm (elaeis guineensis) seed characteristics and germination potential as influenced by maturity stage and fruitlet position on a bunch
url http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/109420/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/109420/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/109420/