AS the world’s population continues to grow and arable land becomes increasingly scarce, there is a pressing need to enhance the efficiency of food production. At the same time, climate change is wreaking havoc on our planet’s ecosystems, making it increasingly difficult to grow crops in many regions. But Selangor-born scientist, Dr Najiah Mohd Sadali is determined to find a solution to these challenges.
In the past, Najiah has collaborated with her team at the University of Oxford to successfully control the rate of ripening of tomatoes through the regulation of a gene called SP1. This technology was patented in 2014 and shows high potential to develop early and late-ripening varieties of fleshy fruits through either upregulation or downregulation of the gene without compromising the quality of the ripe fruit.
In an exclusive interview, Najiah said that she was excited about the potential impact of the research. “For example, early ripening enables home growers to harvest and enjoy the fruits much faster. A more important application will be to reduce food wastage by slowing the spoilage to increase transportability,” she explained.
