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Review
. 2011 Dec;108(8):1529-37.
doi: 10.1093/aob/mcr151. Epub 2011 Jun 28.

Environmental regulation of sex determination in oil palm: current knowledge and insights from other species

Hélène Adam  1 , Myriam Collin, Frédérique Richaud, Thierry Beulé, David Cros, Alphonse Omoré, Leifi Nodichao, Bruno Nouy, James W Tregear
Affiliations
Review

Environmental regulation of sex determination in oil palm: current knowledge and insights from other species

Hélène Adam et al. Ann Bot. 2011 Dec.

Abstract

Background: The African oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) is a monoecious species of the palm subfamily Arecoideae. It may be qualified as 'temporally dioecious' in that it produces functionally unisexual male and female inflorescences in an alternating cycle on the same plant, resulting in an allogamous mode of reproduction. The 'sex ratio' of an oil palm stand is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. In particular, the enhancement of male inflorescence production in response to water stress has been well documented.

Scope: This paper presents a review of our current understanding of the sex determination process in oil palm and discusses possible insights that can be gained from other species. Although some informative phenological studies have been carried out, nothing is as yet known about the genetic basis of sex determination in oil palm, nor the mechanisms by which this process is regulated. Nevertheless new genomics-based techniques, when combined with field studies and biochemical and molecular cytological-based approaches, should provide a new understanding of the complex processes governing oil palm sex determination in the foreseeable future. Current hypotheses and strategies for future research are discussed.

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Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Macroscopic views of oil palm inflorescences: (A) mature female inflorescence, (B) mature male inflorescence. Scale bars = 10 cm.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Key stages of inflorescence development in relation to leaf number.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.
Development and sex determination of the oil palm inflorescence in relation to palm age [after Hartley (1988), as reproduced by Durand-Gasselin et al. (1999)].
Fig. 4.
Fig. 4.
Possible modes of interaction of factors affecting inflorescence sex in oil palm.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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