KUALA LUMPUR: Genting Plantation Bhd, via unit ACGT Sdn Bhd, is collaborating with DuPont, a global innovation and science company, to increase oil palm yield and unlock the natural potential of the crop.

ACGT CEO Derrik Khoo Sin Huat said the collaboration would leverage on DuPont’s suite of scientific crop yield innovations and enable the company to introduce marker-assisted selection to identify high-performance oil palm breeds.

“The collaboration will accelerate the use of genes and biomarkers to identify superior oil palm for the plantation industry,” he told reporters after the signing ceremony yesterday.
The collaboration document was signed by Genting Plantation CEO Yong Chee Kong while DuPont was represented by its Asean group managing director Hsing Ho.

Khoo said the marker-assisted selection would shorten the time for a palm oil breed research to six years from 11 using the traditional selection system.

He said through the collaboration, DuPont would transfer its technology to ACGT within the next 30 months and provide guidance, expertise, system as well as processes applied in corn and soya bean for applications in oil palm.

DuPont would also provide a range of interactions with ACGT, including working in one another’s laboratories to develop skills, tools and techniques which are aimed at oil palm yield, he said.

“If we can increase the yield so much, we can enable the oil palm to live up to its true potential, satisfying the food requirement while the surplus can be considered for fuel,” he said.

ACGT is a plant science company and its research and development activities use genomics-based technologies and solutions to increase the productivity and enhance value creation from oil crops like oil palm and others. — Bernama

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on Dec 4, 2012.