Full Length Research Paper

The role of phenolic compounds in the determination of wilt disease tolerance of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis JACQ)

Diabate, S.¹*, Franqueville, H (De)², Adon, B³, Coulibaly, O. A.⁴ and Ake, S⁵

¹CNRA, Laboratoire Central de Biotechnologies 01 BP 1740 Abidjan 01 Cote D’Ivoire.

²CIRAD, TA 80 /02, Avenue Agropolis F 34398 Montpellier Cedex 5 France.

³CNRA, Station de Recherche de La Mé 13 BP 989 Abidjan 13 Cote D’Ivoire.

⁴CNRA, Station D’expérimentation et de Production BP 8 Dabou Cote D’ivoire.

⁵UFR Biosciences, Université de Cocody 22 BP 582 Abidjan 22 Cote D’Ivoire.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: sekou_diabate2002@yahoo.fr.

Accepted 30 April, 2009

   Abstract

Oil palm defence reaction to the vascular wilt disease was characterized by the production of phenolic compounds in the roots and pseudobulbs infected at the prenursery stage. The study was aimed at discriminating between tolerant and sensitive ones by the phenolic reaction of the roots and pseudobulbs after their infection with the Fusarium oxysporum f.sp.elaeidis, the pathogenic agent of vascular wilt disease of oil palm. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Discriminant Analysis (DA) show that although  the phenolic metabolism was different in both organs; all the phenols belonged to the flavonoids and can be used to distinguish the tolerant clones and sensitive ones. 

Key words: Oil palm, wilt disease, pseudobulb, phenols, flavonoids.