Molecular approaches to the elucidation of basal stem rot disease of oil palm

Basal stem rot incited by Ganoderma spp. is of the most important diseases in oil palm. Chemical treatments gave no significant impact in combating the disease. Crop improvement through conventional breeding program is hindered by the lack of resistant plant materials, long breeding cycle, and limited knowledge on the pathogen and its association with oil palm. Development of advanced molecular techniques opens a wide opportunity to solve these problems. This paper summarizes current research progress on the use of molecular approaches to: a). determine the extent genetic variability in Ganoderma associated with oil palm; b). develop resistant plant materials against Ganoderma infection; and c). develop serological kit for detection of early infection of oil palm qv the pathogen.