SureSawitTM TRUE-TO-TYPE – A HIGH THROUGHPUT UNIVERSAL SINGLE NUCLEOTIDE POLYMORPHISM PANEL FOR DNA FINGERPRINTING, PURITY TESTING AND ORIGIN VERIFICATION IN OIL PALM

A high performing True-to-Type single nucleotide polymorphism assay, consisting of a minimal set of single nucleotide polymorphism markers was developed for oil palm. The single nucleotide polymorphism panel was developed from a range of diverse materials consisting of germplasm and advanced breeding lines. Analyses demonstrated that the single nucleotide polymorphism panel is effective at uniquely finger printing and discriminating individual palms from unrelated pedigrees. In addition, the single nucleotide polymorphism panel is a very useful tool in breeding programmes, as it can effectively discriminate between individual progeny in half-sibling, full sibling and selfed crosses. Furthermore, illegitimate palms present in half-sibling, full sibling and selfed crosses are easily identified. The single nucleotide polymorphism panel is an excellent quality control tool for use in tissue culture, as clonal materials could be differentiated based on their lineage. The fact that ramets of different clonal lines were easily distinguished, indicates that it will also be an excellent tool to identify potential culture mix-ups that occur either in the laboratory, nursery or during field planting.