Project Brief on Molecular Sex Determination in Aquilaria malaccensis — highly relevant to improving breeding, propagation, and plantation planning under Crown Organogenesis Protocols Inc. and allied ventures.
Project Brief: Molecular Sex Determination of Aquilaria malaccensis
Project Title
“Early Sex Identification in Aquilaria malaccensis via DNA Marker-Assisted Selection for Optimized Plantation and Breeding Programs”
Project Objective
To develop and apply a reliable molecular protocol for early sex determination in Aquilaria malaccensis seedlings and clones to:
- Accelerate breeding programs
- Optimize seed orchard design
- Improve cost-efficiency in plantation establishment
Background & Rationale
- Aquilaria malaccensis is dioecious: individuals are either male or female.
- Flowering (which reveals sex) only occurs 3–5 years after planting, causing delays in breeding and seed production planning.
- Early identification of sex allows:
- Selection of desired ratios for seed orchards
- Better allocation of resources and land
- Avoidance of maintaining non-seed-producing (male) trees in propagation programs
- Molecular markers offer a non-invasive, lab-based method to detect sex within the first year of growth.
Methodology
- Sample Collection
- Collect leaf samples from sex-identified mature trees (flower-confirmed)
- Minimum of 20 male and 20 female reference trees
- DNA Extraction
- Standard CTAB or commercial DNA extraction kits
- Marker Development
- Use Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD), ISSR, or SCAR markers to find sex-specific alleles
- Validate with PCR-based screening
- Field Testing
- Apply markers to young, unsexed seedlings
- Compare results with field sexing as trees mature
- Protocol Standardization
- Develop an SOP for mass screening (with field-lab integration)
Expected Outputs
| Output | Description |
|---|---|
| ✅ Validated molecular markers | DNA-based primers for male/female identification |
| ✅ Field-applicable protocol | Leaf → DNA → PCR → Sex result |
| ✅ Training materials | For nursery and lab technicians |
| ✅ Baseline sex ratio data | From various farm blocks or seed sources |