Molecular Characterization and Detection of African Oil Palm Ringspot Virus

African oil palm ringspot virus (AOPRV) had been previously described as a fovea‐like virus associated with a lethal disease of African oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) in South America. The original report was based on partial sequence and a distant relationship between AOPRV and Apple stem pitting virus, Apricot latent virus and Grapevine rupestris stem pitting‐associated virus, definitive species of the genus Foveavirus, family Flexiviridae. We report the full sequence of the RNA genome of AOPRV, and demonstrate that this virus is more closely related to two unassigned virus species of the family Flexiviridae (Cherry green ring mottle virus and Cherry necrotic rusty mottle virus) than to any definitive species of the genus Foveavirus. Thus, AOPRV should be considered as a new species of the Flexiviridae until the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) resolves the taxonomic status of the increasing number of unassigned species in this family. The molecular characterization of AOPRV has provided a highly sensitive and reliable RT‐PCR assay for the early detection of AOPRV in different genotypes of African, American (E. oleifera) and hybrid oil palms.     

油棕（Elaeis guineensis）中果皮发育过程中miRNA的表达动态分析

以CTAB法提取油棕（Elaeis guineensis）中果皮5个不同发育时期（G1～G5）的小RNA。从前期研究获得的油棕小RNA测序数据库中筛选12个候选miRNA,实时荧光定量PCR法（qRT-PCR）检测其在果实发育过程中的表达量变化,并进一步对显著差异表达的miRNA进行靶基因预测。结果表明：中果皮5个不同发育时期小RNA的OD260/OD280比值在1.7～2.0之间;浓度分别是289、364、476、213、390 ng/μL;qRT-PCR检测结果显示,12个候选miRNA在5个发育时期均显著性差异表达,特别是在中果皮发育第4个时期（G4）和第5个时期（G5）表达量极显著增高,其中miR395和miR156在第4个时期表达量最高;miR395和miR528在发育第5时期表达量最高;靶基因预测结果显示差异表达的部分miRNA,其靶基因可能参与了脂肪酸代谢通路,如磷脂酸磷酸脂酶和磷脂酶D。本研究筛选的与脂肪酸代谢相关的miRNA为今后油棕脂肪酸代谢调控通路研究提供了可能的线索。     

Differential Gene Expression and Characterization of Tissue-specific cDNA Clones in Oil Palm using mRNA Differential Display

The mRNA differential display method was utilized to study the differential expression and regulation of genes in two species of oil palm, the commercially grown variety Elaeis guineensis, var. tenera and the South American species, Elaeis oleifera. We demonstrated the differential expression of genes in the mesocarp and kernel at the week of active oil synthesis (15 week after anthesis) during fruit development as compare to the roots and leaves and the isolation of tissue-specific and species-specific cDNA clones. A total of eight specific cDNA clones were isolated and their specificities were confirmed by Northern hybridization and classified into three groups. Group one contains four clones (KT3, KT4, KT5 and KT6) that are kernel-specific for E. guineensis, tenera and E. oleifera. The second group represents clone FST1, which is mesocarp and kernel-specific for E. guineensis, tenera and E. oleifera. The third group represents clones MLT1, MLT2 and MLO1 that are mesocarp and leaf-specific. Northern analysis showed that their expressions were developmentally regulated. Nucleotide sequencing and homology search in GenBank data revealed that clones KT3 and KT4 encode for the same maturation protein PM3. While clones MLT1 and MLT2 encode for S-ribonuclease binding protein and fibrillin, respectively. The other clones (KT5, KT6, FST1 and MLO1) did not display any significant homology to any known protein.     

Growth and biochemical profiling of artificially associated micropropagated oil palm plantlets with Herbaspirillum seropedicae

The challenges of various biotic and abiotic stresses can imperil the growth of micropropagated plantlets either direct or indirectly. Hence, in this study, a mutual relationship was established between diazotrophs and micropropagated plantlets to enhance plant growth and development. Artificial symbiosis was created for different inoculums of Herbaspirillum seropedicae (Z78), namely sonicated cells, broth culture, and pellet cells with micropropagated oil palm plantlets Elaeis guineensis Jacq. Results reveal significant differences on root volume, total protein content, and Brix value for Z78 broth culture treatment compared with plantlets treated with 25% N. High nitrogenase enzyme activities (6.7?×?10^?4?µmol?C₂H₄ g^?1?h^?1) and indole-3-acetic acid production (205.21?µmol (g?FW)^?1) were also detected on roots of plantlets treated with Z78 broth culture. These beneficial traits reviewed that the application of diazotrophs (Z78) in associative manner for micropropagated plantlets hold vast potential for promoting plant growth and plant’s healthiness.     

Oil Palm Biomass Biorefinery for Sustainable Production of Renewable Materials

Oil palm biomass is widely known for its potential as a renewable resource for various value‐added products due to its lignocellulosic content and availability. Oil palm biomass biorefinery is an industry that comes with sociopolitical benefits through job opportunities, as well as potential environmental benefits. Many studies have been conducted on the technological advancements of oil‐palm biomass‐derived renewable materials, which are discussed comprehensively in this review. Recent technological developments have made it possible to bring new and innovative technologies to commercialization, such as compost, biocharcoal, biocomposites, and bioplastics.     

Architecture and development of the oil-palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) root system

The growth dynamics and architecture of the oil-palm root system are described. Following a transitional juvenile phase, eight different morphological types of roots have been distinguished according to their development pattern and state of differentiation: primary vertical and horizontal roots, secondary horizontal roots, upward growing secondary vertical roots and downward growing secondary vertical roots, superficial and deep tertiary roots and quaternary roots. The relative position of these types of roots determines a morphological and functional unit of the root system called 'root architectural unit' of the oil palm. This root polymorphism enabled us to define a morphogenetic gradient, which reflected the oil-palm root-system ontogenesis.     

A review of the ecosystem functions in oil palm plantations,using forests as a reference system

Oil palm plantations have expanded rapidly in recent decades. This large‐scale land‐use change has had great ecological, economic, and social impacts on both the areas converted to oil palm and their surroundings. However, research on the impacts of oil palm cultivation is scattered and patchy, and no clear overview exists. We address this gap through a systematic and comprehensive literature review of all ecosystem functions in oil palm plantations, including several (genetic, medicinal and ornamental resources, information functions) not included in previous systematic reviews. We compare ecosystem functions in oil palm plantations to those in forests, as the conversion of forest to oil palm is prevalent in the tropics. We find that oil palm plantations generally have reduced ecosystem functioning compared to forests: 11 out of 14 ecosystem functions show a net decrease in level of function. Some functions show decreases with potentially irreversible global impacts (e.g. reductions in gas and climate regulation, habitat and nursery functions, genetic resources, medicinal resources, and information functions). The most serious impacts occur when forest is cleared to establish new plantations, and immediately afterwards, especially on peat soils. To variable degrees, specific plantation management measures can prevent or reduce losses of some ecosystem functions (e.g. avoid illegal land clearing via fire, avoid draining of peat, use of integrated pest management, use of cover crops, mulch, and compost) and we highlight synergistic mitigation measures that can improve multiple ecosystem functions simultaneously. The only ecosystem function which increases in oil palm plantations is, unsurprisingly, the production of marketable goods. Our review highlights numerous research gaps. In particular, there are significant gaps with respect to socio‐cultural information functions. Further, there is a need for more empirical data on the importance of spatial and temporal scales, such as differences among plantations in different environments, of different sizes, and of different ages, as our review has identified examples where ecosystem functions vary spatially and temporally. Finally, more research is needed on developing management practices that can offset the losses of ecosystem functions. Our findings should stimulate research to address the identified gaps, and provide a foundation for more systematic research and discussion on ways to minimize the negative impacts and maximize the positive impacts of oil palm cultivation.     

Feasibility Study of Performing an Life Cycle Assessment on Crude Palm Oil Production in Malaysia (9 pp)

Background, Goal and Scope The palm oil industry is one of the leading industries in Malaysia. With a yearly production of more than 13 million tons of crude palm oil (CPO) and plantations covering 11% of the Malaysian land area it is an industry to be reckoned with, also when it comes to environmental impacts. One way to describe and present the environmental impacts is through a life cycle assessment, LCA. This assessment aims to introduce the concept of LCA and perform a screening LCA on crude palm oil production in Malaysia including the stages of plantation, transport and milling. The assessment is largely based on general data and is thus meant to function as an indication of the environmental threads posed by CPO production and as a guideline to CPO producers and local universities on how to perform an LCA on a palm oil scenario. Due to the general data background the results of this report should not be quoted directly for decision making. The Functional Unit, to which all masses and emissions in this assessment have been adjusted, is the production of 1000 kg of CPO in Malaysia. Method Initially an overview of palm oil production was obtained and the outlines and borders of the assessment were determined along with the specific goal and scope of the assessment. The data for the assessment was collected from three different sources: - 1. Earlier studies and statistics on palm oil production in Malaysia - 2. Studies on similar processes, when palm oil related processes were not available - 3. General data from the SimaPro 5 database - The European Eco-Indicator 99 method and European databases included in the LCA software SimaPro 5 have been used for the impact calculations. Results and Discussion The impact processes related to the plantation are the on-site energy use (mainly diesel) and the production of artificial fertilizer. Pesticide use contributes a minor impact due to widely used integrated biological poet management. For transportation the only impact is from combustion of diesel and at the mill the boiler is the sole significant contributor – positively through electricity production and negatively by emissions from the boiler. Impacts from POME (Palm Oil Mill Effluent) are not dealt with in the main assessment, but touched upon in alternative scenarios. The results clearly show that fertilizer production is the most polluting process in the system followed by transportation and the boiler emissions at a tie. The most significant impacts from the system are respiratory inorganics and depletion of fossil fuels, of which the boiler emission is the main responsible for the prior and fertilizer production and transportation are responsible for the latter. It is also evident from the results that crude palm oil production is a significant environmental impact generator in Malaysia due to the vast production quantities. Alternative scenarios revealed that there are significant impact savings to be made by introduction of environmental investments, both regarding the overall impacts and in particularly regarding CO2 emissions. Conclusion A screening LCA was successfully conducted on the Malaysian crude palm oil production thus promising potentials for the palm oil industry to conduct their own inventories and assessments using specific company data. Crude palm oil production in Malaysia is responsible for app. 3.5% of the total environmental impacts in the country and must thus be given attention to reduce impacts. Alternatives such as optimized use of organic fertilizer, environmentally friendlier artificial fertilizer production, rail transport, approved filters at the mill boiler stack and biogas harvest from POME digestion must thus be promoted in the industry. Recommendation . The Malaysian palm oil industry should take steps towards introducing LCA. Exhaustive inventories are likely to open the eyes of many companies towards implementing environmental investments and improve the international competitiveness. In order to retrieve results with a greater accuracy in the future, databases must be created containing life cycle data from Malaysian scenarios and normalization and weighting factors must be designed to reflect Malaysian conditions. The Malaysian authorities must create incentives through increased tariffs on electricity and diesel and/or financial support for cleaner technology investments.     

Cordyceps cateniannulata,a novel entomopathogenic fungus to control Stenoma impressella Busck (Lepidoptera: Elachistidae) in Colombia

Stenoma impressella is one of the most important defoliator pests in oil palm plantations in Colombia. To identify an alternative method for its control was characterized biologically and molecularly two strains of Cordyceps cateniannulata (CPIsp1201 and IPIsp1201) and three strains of Beauveria bassiana (CPBb0502; CPBb0411; CPBb0404) against S. impressella larvae. Virulence was evaluated under laboratory conditions. In an oil palm leaflet, individual larvae obtained from the insect colony were inoculated with 5 μl of a conidial suspension containing 1 × 10⁷ conidia/ml. The five strains were pathogenic against S. impressella larvae. CPIsp1201 and IPIsp1201 strains resulted in the highest mortality and were subsequently evaluated in two bioassays using a dose of 1 × 10¹³ conidia/ha. In the first bioassay, performed under shaded conditions, leaves of oil palms were infested with 75 larvae from the breeding/treatment. The second bioassay was performed in the field using natural populations. No differences were found between strains in both bioassays and the different dosages (5 × 10¹², 1 × 10¹³, and 1.5 × 10¹³ conidia/ha). Finally, the two strains were evaluated under oil palm plantation conditions at a dose of 1 × 10¹³ conidia/ha in 126 naturally infested palms. Larval mortality caused by the strains IPIsp1201 and CPIsp1201 (79.5% and 70.5%, respectively) was higher than the natural mortality registered in the control (37.3%). Cordyceps cateniannulata used at 1 × 10¹³ conidia/ha was effective at controlling S. impressella.     

Long-Term Chemiluminescent Signal Is Produced in the Course of Luminol Peroxidation Catalyzed by Peroxidase Isolated from Leaves of African Oil Palm Tree

Optimal conditions were found for the oxidation of luminol by hydrogen peroxide in the presence of peroxidase isolated from leaves of the African oil palm tree Elaeis guineensis (AOPTP). The pH range for maximal chemiluminescence intensity (8.3-8.6) is similar for AOPTP, horseradish, and Arthromyces ramosus peroxidases and slightly different from that for tobacco peroxidase (9.3). Increasing the buffer concentration decreases the chemiluminescence intensity. As in the case of other anionic peroxidases, the catalytic efficiency of AOPTP does not depend on the presence of enhancers (4-iodophenol and 4-hydroxycinnamic acid) in the reaction medium. The detectable limit of AOPTP assayed by luminol peroxidation is 2·10^–12 M. The long-term chemiluminescence signal produced during AOPTP-dependent luminol peroxidation is a characteristic feature of the African oil palm enzyme. This feature in combination with its very high stability suggests that AOPTP will be a promising tool in analytical practice.     

Assessment of nuclear,mitochondrial and chloroplast RFLP markers in oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.)

A variety of DNA probes was used to screen a diverse set of oil palm accessions in order to identify markers with a utility in genotype discrimination. This survey included samples of the commercial oil palm native to Africa (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.), the closely-related South American species [E.oleifera (HBK) Cortes] and inter-specific hybrids of the two. Of 106 major chloroplast bands none showed differences between E. guineensis and E. Oleifera. Mitochondrial and ribosomal probes were more informative inter-specifically (the former allowing identification of the maternal inheritance of mitochondria) and may be useful in hybrid breeding programmes; however, they were unable to identify polymorphism within E. guineensis. In contrast, low-copy nuclear genomic clones were able to identify intra-specific variation, though in most cases they revealed a relatively small number of allelic variants. One DNA probe showed a much larger number of band variants, revealing ten patterns amongst 13 E. guineensis accessions, and should prove useful in genetic fingerprinting and evaluation of oil-palm germplasm collections.     

樱草花叶病毒的分离与鉴定

樱草(Primula obconica),又称报春花,是早春季节人们喜爱的一种花卉。近年来,患病严重,病株的叶片呈现花叶、畸型、翻卷等症状,影响观赏。关于樱草花叶病毒在国内未见报道。本文简要报道樱草花叶病毒的分离与鉴定(以下简称PMV)。     

程序降温法固相酶催化棕榈油甘油解的研究

单脂肪酸甘油酯(单甘酯)的酶法合成工艺中最具有工业化前景的当属固体相油脂甘油解。彭立风、谭天伟[1～2]以猪胰脂肪酶固相催化牛油、棕榈油甘油解合成单甘酯,甘油与油脂摩尔比为2～4∶1,最佳反应温度下反应24ｈ后单甘酯含量最高分别达1951%和2417%,将反应物于更低温度下…     

Biology and Structure of Phytomonas staheli sp. n., a Trypanosomatid Located in Sieve Tubes of Coconut and Oil Palms

SYNOPSIS. Phytomonas staheli sp. n. is described from the oil palm ( Elaeis guineensis ) and the coconut palm ( Cocos nucifera ) of Surinam, South America. The phytomonad is the probable cause of "Hartrot" in the coconut palm and "Marchitez sopresiva" in oil palms. Parasites are confined to the sieve tubes in palms. Some success was obtained at cultivation of the organism from Elaeis.     

Similarity in structure and function of the 3′-terminal region of the four brome mosaic viral RNAs

A 3′-terminal fragment, about 160 nucleotides long, was cleaved by limited nuclease digestion from each of the four RNA components of brome mosaic virus, and purified by two cycles of gel electrophoresis. These fragments accepted tyrosine in reactions catalyzed by wheat germ aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase. Analyses of nuclease digests suggested that the sequences of the fragments from brome mosaic virus RNA 3 and 4 were identical and that the fragments from RNA 1 and 2 differed from that of RNA 4 only in the positions of two and one nucleotides, respectively. A fragment isolated in a similar way from cowpea chlorotic mottle virus was similar in size to the brome mosaic virus RNA fragments, accepted tyrosine in the presence of wheat germ aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase, but had a substantially different nucleotide sequence.     

Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch and Sugarcane Bagasse Enhance the Bioremediation of Soil Artificially Polluted by Crude Oil

Contamination of soil by petroleum hydrocarbons is becoming prevalent in Malaysia. Infiltration of soil contamination into groundwater poses a great threat to the ecosystem and human health. Bioremediation can occur naturally or can be enhanced with supplementation of microorganisms and fertilizers. However, fertilizers are expensive and therefore alternative nutrient-rich biomaterials are required. In this study, two organic wastes from agricultural industry (i.e., sugarcane bagasse and oil palm empty fruit bunch) were investigated for possible enhanced bioremediation of soil contaminated with Tapis crude oil. Two bacterial strains isolated and characterized previously (i.e., Pseudomonas aeruginosa UKMP-14T and Acinetobacter baumannii UKMP-12T) were used in this study. Sugarcane bagasse (5% and 15%, w/w) and oil palm empty fruit bunch (20%, w/w) were mixed with soil (500 g) spiked with Tapis crude oil (3%, v/w). The treated soils as well as controls were incubated for 20 days under controlled conditions. Sampling was carried out every four days to measure the number of bacterial colonies (CFU/g) and to determine the percentage of oil degradation by gas chromatography. The two biostimulating agents were able to maintain the soil moisture holding capacity, pH, and temperature at 38-40% volumetric moisture content (VMC), 7.0, and 29–30°C; respectively. The growth of bacteria consortium after 20 days in the treatment with sugarcane bagasse and oil palm empty fruit bunch had increased to 10.3 CFU/g and 9.5 CFU/g, respectively. The percentage of hydrocarbon degradation was higher in the soil amended with sugarcane bagasse (100%) when compared to that of oil palm empty fruit bunch (97%) after 20 days. Our results demonstrated the potential of sugarcane bagasse and oil palm empty fruit bunch as good substrates for enhanced bioremediation of soil contaminated with petroleum crude oil.     

Characterization of a Sorghum mosaic virus (SrMV) isolate in China

Sorghum mosaic virus (SrMV), a causal agent of the destructive sugarcane mosaic disease, has a global presence. An isolate of SrMV infecting a commercially-grown sugarcane plant was recovered from the Hainan province of China. The virions were visualized by an electron microscope, and the coat proteins (CPs) were sequenced by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry. Discrepancies between the CP predicted and actual amino acid sequences were noted, which confounded the phylogenetic assignment of the isolate. The apparent variations may have physiological effects on the pathogenicity and virulence of SrMV.