Biotechnologies are pushing sustainable palm oil production

Alain RivalCIRAD C di  f  Oil  l   hCIRAD Coordinator for Oil palm research

CIRAD Regional Director for South‐East Asian Island CountriesJakarta, Indonesia

alain.rival@cirad.fr

Dedicado a la memoria de Mauricio Herrera, con toda mi amistad y mi profundo respeto.

Mauricio, escúcheme: ,aquellas biotecnologías son el futuro para la palma de aceite!   Tonterias!

Oil palm sustainability is in the public debateis in the public debate

3

Biotechnologies also i  th   bli  d b tare in the public debate

Biotechnologies  Biotechnologies Biotechnologies are not restricted 

to GMOs

gare working for sustainability

Simple Biotechnology facts

Bi h l i h f li i d i• Biotechnology is the use of living systems and organisms todevelop or make useful products

• It uses the controlled and deliberate manipulation of biological• It uses the controlled and deliberate manipulation of biologicalsystems for the efficient manufacture or processing of usefulproducts

• For thousands of years, humankind has used biotechnology inagriculture, food production and medicine

• The fabrication of wine, bread, beer, cheese, traditional medicine,the breeding of plants and animals are very ancientbiotechnologiesbiotechnologies

Genotype is what is in the DNA

The Cell Factory

THEDNA

Storage and transmission

THE GENOME

SynthesisChanges

D d ti

gof  genetic information

PROTEINSDegradation

StructuralRegulatoryEnzymatic

THE TRANSCRIPTOME

Protein/DNAProtein RNAInteractions

SynthesisModifications

TRANSCRIPTOME

Degradation

LIPIDS GLUCIDSStructuralTHEStructural

Energy storage

StructuralEnergy storage

THE PROTEOME

The oil palm biotechnologies cloud

A sustainable palm oil production

• Agroecology• AgroecologyP   ll i iP   ll i i

Agroecology• Breeding• Waste management• Precision Agriculture

Agroecology• Breeding• Waste management• Precision Agriculture

• Poverty alleviation• People’s rights•Workers’ rightsL d  bbi

• Poverty alleviation• People’s rights•Workers’ rightsL d  bbi

g• Best agricultural practices• GreenHouseGas mitigation• Integrated Pest Management

g• Best agricultural practices• GreenHouseGas mitigation• Integrated Pest Management

• Land grabbing• Public policies• Ethical investments• Public/private Partnership

• Land grabbing• Public policies• Ethical investments• Public/private Partnership • Environmental services• Environmental services• Public/private Partnership• Public/private Partnership

•Agroecology• Breeding•Agroecology• Breeding

ECOLOGICAL INTENSIFICATIONg

•Waste management• Precision Agriculture• Best agricultural practices

g•Waste management• Precision Agriculture• Best agricultural practices•GreenHouseGas mitigation• Integrated Pest Management• Environmental services

•GreenHouseGas mitigation• Integrated Pest Management• Environmental services

Biotechnologies are tools for sustainability

•Agroecology• Environmental services• Breeding•Waste management• Precision agriculture• Best agricultural practices•Greenhouse Gases mitigation• Integrated Pest Management

Biotechnologies are working for sustainability

•AgroecologyCh t i i• Environmental services

• Integrated Pest Management

Characterizingbiodiversityg g

• Breeding•Waste management•Waste management• Precision agricultureB t  i lt l  ti

DNA BARCODING• Best agricultural practices•Greenhouse gases mitigation

Biotechnologies are working for sustainability

•Agroecology•Agroecology• Environmental servicesI d P  M• Integrated Pest Management

• Breeding• Marker Assisted Breeding• Micropropagation

•Waste management• Precision agriculture

p p g•Gene discovery

ec s o ag cu tu e• Best agricultural practices•Greenhouse Gases mitigation•Greenhouse Gases mitigation

Bi h l i     k  M l l  b di

Certifying the origin and traceability of planting material

Biotechnologies at work: Molecular breeding

Certifying the origin and traceability of planting material• Optimized management of genetic resources (core collections)• Certification of pedigrees in genetic trials and seed gardensCertification of pedigrees in genetic trials and seed gardens• Certification of tenera trait in seeds

Improving the selection efficiency in E guineensisImproving the selection efficiency in E. guineensis• Fine‐tuning of the selection of genitors• Agronomical traitsQTL identified, MAB under wayg , y• Resistances to pathogens (Fusariumwilt)

Biotechnologies at work: Gene discovery

The time course of gene expressionduring oil palm fruit development

Biotechnologies at work: Clonal micropropagation

kC ( )

Clonal micropropagation

Identifying sources of 

Elaeis guineensis BackCross (E.g x E.o) x E.g

Identifying sources of tolerance to PC Combining genes of 

interest originating fromE. oleifera and E. 

Detecting genes for tolerance/resistance

to PC8090

guineensis

01020304050607080

ot c

umul

ated

incid

ence

Cl i BC  lCloning of tolerant Cl i BC   l

% Bu

d Ro

year

C1001 C1501 C6501 C7001

Cloning BC palmsCloning of tolerantindividual palms

Cloning BC1 palms

Clonal planting material Field trialsin PC infested zones

Clonal planting material

Clonal micropropagationBiotechnologies at work: Clonal micropropagation

Hybrids

Clonal micropropagation

E l iti i bilit

(E.oleifera x E.guineensis)

Exploiting variability

Cloning outstanding individual palms23% OER and 30 t FFB/ha23% OER and 30 t FFB/ha

16

Clonal planting material

Biotechnologies at work: E i ti   f fl iEpigenetics of flowering

The NextGeneration Sequencing Revolution

DNA sequencing capability is growing exponentiallyCosts are coming down 2X per year

Biotechnologies are working for sustainability

•Agroecology• Environmental services• Integrated Pest Managementg g• Breeding•Waste management

METAGENOMICS•Waste management• Precision agricultureB t  i lt l  ti

Understanding life in soil and  ater• Best agricultural practices

•Greenhouse Gases mitigationin soil and water

THE METAGENOMICS PROCESS

DETERMINE WHO IS THEREDETERMINE WHO IS THERE(Sequence‐based metagenomics)

• Identify organisms, genes and metabolic pathways•Compare to other communitiesp•Compare treatments and cultural practices

E ll DNA Extract all DNA frommicrobialcommunity insampled

DNA sequencingsampledenvironment

DETERMINE WHAT THEY ARE DOING(Function‐based metagenomics)

• Screen to identify functions of interest  • Screen to identify functions of interest, such as nitrate reduction, or carbone fixation

• Find the genes that code to functions of interests

The NGS Revolutioni t   il l   himpacts oil palm research

o The vanishing gap between crop and model plant species

Wh l G S ilbl

NOW

o WholeGenome Sequence availble

o Metagenomics of soil and water

NOW

NOWo Metagenomics of soil and water

oTranscriptomics and gene discovery

NOW

NOWp g y

o Genomic selection NOW

o Epigenomics NOW

Muchas gracias por su amable atencionMuchas gracias por su amable atencion

Tonterias!