Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 1.2
Area of Production and Major Producers of Palms (Source: FAOSTAT, 2008)
Crop
Area
(m ha)
Production
(mt)
Yield
(t/ha)
Major Producers
Arecanut
0.8
0.97
12.0
India (58%), China (13%), Bangladesh
(10%)
Coconut
11.0
61
54
Philippines (25%), Indonesia (32%), India
(18%)
Dates
1.2
7.0
55
Egypt (18%), Iran (14%), Saudi Arabia
(14%), UAE (11%)
Oil palm
14.5
205
140
Indonesia (41%), Malaysia (40%)
fodder, and fuel. Arecanut is a source of supari and a mastigatory crop. Rattans are
climbing palms used for making furniture;
Calamus
,
Daemonorops
,
Korthalsia
, and
Plectocomia
are major species of commercial significance. Oil palm is an important
crop that offers a potential paradigm shift in the edible oil import and usage scenario.
Date palm is a fruit crop, rich in dietary iron, growing in arid regions. Apart from
these, palmyra (
Borassus flabellifer
L.) and pejibaye palms (
Bactris gasipaes
) are
grown on large scale in India (Africa-Asia) and Cuba (America), respectively. Area
under these palms is estimated as number of million palms rather than as hectares.
Palms also serve as excellent ornamental plants and are either grown as indoor potted
plants or in various outdoor landscapes, including avenue plantings.
Chrysalidocarpus
lutescens
(erroneously referred to as areca palm or dypsis palm) is a good example
of a most valued ornamental palm, whose seeds were once highly sought
[2]
. This
palm can also remove indoor air pollutants such as formaldehyde
[3]
. Details on uses,
diversity, and general aspects of tropical palms are described in current literature
[4]
.
Palms first appear in the fossil record around 80-90 million years ago, during the
late Cretaceous-Turonian period
[5]
. Arecanut palms are mentioned in ancient litera-
ture (1300 B.C.) of Sisu Mayana in India
[6]
. Palm leaves, especially those from the
Thalipot palm or palmyra, were used as writing media during the fifth century B.C.
[7]
before the discovery of paper and print in Asian countries. Palms are mentioned
in historical records and old religious and literature documents (3500 B.C.) such as
the Bible
[8]
. The date palm was the first crop for which artificial pollination was
attempted, by Babylonians and Assyrians, to improve the color of the fruit. Hand
pollination of date palm has been practiced for centuries in Babylonia and is also
well described in the Humorabi laws and in ancient Egyptian scripts
[9]
.
1.2 Genetics Cytology and Genomics of Palms
Gene pool enrichment by indigenous and exotic germplasm, selection, and hybridi-
zation are the common breeding methods adopted in productivity enhancement.
To obtain useful results, such efforts for perennial plants like palms require large
amounts of land for experimentation, a long period of time, and adequate resources.
