Investigation of methylchavicol biosynthesis in oil palm flower

Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) originated from West African and introduced into Southeast Asia countries, who have now become the biggest vegetative oil producer and exporter in the world. Further introduction of African oil palm weevil is one of the key factors to the success of oil palm plantation in these countries. Oil palm flowers emit a volatile phenylpropene called methylchavicol to attract the weevil which facilitate pollination rate therefore increasing fruit yield. However, the biosynthesis of methylchavicol in such an important monocot crop still remains unknown. So, we performed the transcriptome analysis of oil palm flower to investigate the biosyntheis of methylchavicol.