Qualitative and quantitative evolution of selected oil palm seed production at La Dibamba specialised centre on oil palm research (Cameroon)

The La Dibamba Specialised Centre on Oil Palm Research (CEREPAH) is a member of CIRAD's "network" that includes CNRA La Mé (Côte d'Ivoire), Embrapa Rio Urubu Station (Brazil), SRPH Pobè Station (bénin), P T Socfindo (Indonesia) and CIRAD (France). Sustainable high yielding oil palm breeding is based on a recurrent selection scheme (RRS). The major advantage is the capacity to produce new planting materials as soon as the value of the crosses or the parents tested obtained from progeny tests is known. At the end of the first cycle, 18 per cent improvement in oil yield was achieved An average yield increase of 36 per cent was achieved over two cycles of recurrent reciprocal selection. At La Dibamba the production of first selection cycle planting materials started in 1985, while that of the second in 1991 which progressively took over the first selection cycle planting materials. Since 2003, 98 per cent of seeds produced are of the second selection cycle. The number of dura parents, the potential number of pisifera parents and the seed production potential are high. The gap existing between the seed production potential and the quantity of seeds produced yearly is explained. (Résumé d'auteur