A biotechnology symposium in the Philippines Cebu Province has heard Philippine scientists are working on genetic modification of papaya and eggplant to extend shelf life and reduce use of pesticides respectively, reports the Philippine Daily Enquirer.
Dr Evelyn Mae Tecson-Mendoza, a biochemistry research professor at the University of the Philippines’ Institute of Plant Breeding, said the papaya shelf life extension worked by suppressing ethylene production.
“The papaya usually ripens two days after having a full yellow colour and you have to eat it on the second or the third day,” explained Dr Mendoza. “Otherwise, it won’t be edible. With this technology, we can delay it from four up to 14 days.”
Dr Mendoza has been working since 1997 on post-harvest papaya crop losses, which can run up to 30-40 per cent.
He said the GM papaya variety had similar nutritional values to normal papaya, and still contained both vitamin C and antinutrient benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC).
The new variety of eggplant, known as BT eggplant, has identical nutritional values to normal varieties, according to Dr Frank Shotkoski, director of the Agricultural Biotechnology Support Project II at Cornell University.
Dr Shotkoski said there was already high demand for the BT eggplant variety from farmers in India.
It would take about two years for the technology to reach farmers, according to Dr Mendoza.
He said field testing is needed “Because this is a technology that involves recombinant DNA technologies and there are biosafety regulations.”
“We’re also into progression of incorporating the PRSV (papaya ringspot virus) resistance,” he added.
Dr Shotkoski emphasised the need for commercial returns on projects like this, where US$2-3m could be spent on research.
