date:Jul 30, 2013
Researchers have outlined the genome sequencing of the oil palm plant and identified a single gene, called Shell, that is responsible for increasing the plants yield of oil by 30%. An increase in yield would reduce the palm oil industrys pressure on rainforests because less acreage would be needed to produce the same amount of palm oil.
The Malaysian Palm Oil Board sponsored the research. Scientists from the M.P.O.B. and St. Louis-based Orion Genomics authored two papers that appeared in the jo