You may
wonder what is ‘gaharu’. ‘Gaharu’ is a wooden secretion which is valued
in many cultures for its distinctive fragrance, and thus is used for
incense and perfumes. Realizing ‘gaharu’ has high market demands for
its special and commercial properties, Dr. Rozi Mohamed, an active
researcher and also a lecturer from the Faculty of Forestry, Universiti
Putra Malaysia, has been studying the compound after her return from
the United States. Dr. Rozi obtained her bachelor’s degree in
Microbiology from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia before pursuing her
master and Ph.D in Forest Science from Oregon State University. During
a recent interview, Dr. Rozi gave us an in-depth explanation on the
efforts being taken to further develop forestry research mainly on the
production of ‘gaharu’ in Malaysia.
Can you briefly tell us what encouraged you to indulge in the field of Malaysian forestry research?
I developed my interest in forestry research in general when I
was pursuing my postgraduate programmes in Oregon State University,
while working on disease resistance genes and flowering-time genes in
trees. After my return from the United States, I found out the forestry
research, especially in the field of biotechnology, was many years
behind as compared to other developed countries, although Malaysia is
well known as a host to an enormous variety of flora and fauna. After
so much being done developing agricultural biotechnology, I believed
forestry biotechnology research would become a field with a lot of
potential. Thus, I decided to set-up a forest biotechnology lab at the
Faculty of Forestry, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang.
Dr. Rozi Mohamed
What is the main subject
of your research currently and why did you choose to study the subject?
My research work is on a resin called ‘gaharu’ obtained from ‘karas’
tree (Aquilaria malaccensis). Despite the fact that there are other
species of Aquilaria in Malaysia, including imported species, I am
paying more attention to this native species to reverse the mindset
that imported species are superior. ‘Karas’ is a lesser studied tree
and we have almost zero knowledge on its genetics or the molecular
aspects of ‘gaharu’ formation. This expensive aromatic compound is
mostly used in Chinese and Malay rituals. Besides, the fragrant smell
of the compound makes it essential for perfume producers, adding on to
its commercial value. Due to its high commercial value, ‘karas’ trees
often become victims of greedy ‘gaharu’ harvesters. As the probability
of obtaining ‘gaharu’ from ‘karas’ is only ten percent in the wild, a
huge number of trees are often logged in order to get ‘gaharu’.
Therefore, I am looking at ways of inducing ‘karas’ trees to produce
‘gaharu’ more efficiently. I believe, through my research, we will be
able to save the number of ‘karas’ trees in the wild and produce
‘gaharu’ in a sustainable manner.
Can
you please tell us the techniques used in your research and will you be
carrying further the research?
I am currently using biotech tools to study ‘gaharu’ formation. I
induce ‘gaharu’ in ‘karas’ by applying microbes such as fungi or
bacteria onto the tree and then study the genes that are responsible
for ‘gaharu’ induction and formation. In the presence of pathogens,
‘karas’ will produce ‘gaharu’ as part of their defence mechanism. Most
people are interested in inducing ‘gaharu’ by applying many substances.
Although our goal is to also induce ‘gaharu’ production, at present we
are focusing on what actually controls the production by adopting
molecular approach. We want to study the genetic control of ‘gaharu’ in
‘karas’ and at the same time, methods for efficient ‘gaharu’ induction.
If the method is successful, we will go into a commercialization phase
by applying the method to planted ‘karas’.
What
are the challenges faced in the plantation of ‘karas’?
‘Karas’ is currently under domestication. Previously it was a wild tree
but now efforts are being made to plant ‘karas’ in large plantations.
‘Karas’ plantations will face common problems found in monoculture
practices, such as pest and disease outbreaks. Current practices of
fighting these two enemies are by applying pesticides and fungicides,
which, as we know, have detrimental effects on the environment. Because
‘gaharu’ is a defence reaction to pests and diseases, the outbreaks
could be seen as something positive in induction. One attractive
application would be to develop a genetic control in the tree itself to
react actively in producing ‘gaharu’. This could be achieved through
biotech means such as transgenesis of ‘karas’. When combined with
appropriate microbes, perhaps we can increase ‘gaharu’ production.
Nevertheless, the public has negative thoughts when it comes to
transgenic plants/trees, thus commercializing transgenic trees would be
a great challenge. I believe, with proper exposure to transgenic
‘karas’ and its reliability, the level of acceptance of transgenic
trees amongst the public can be increased.
What are the ways to increase the awareness towards transgenic ‘karas’?
We
haven’t produced any transgenic ‘karas’ or trees in Malaysia, unlike in
other countries such as the United States or China, where mass planting
of transgenic crops and trees are becoming very common. However, there
is a need to educate the public with the current situation by creating
several platforms to help increase public awareness towards transgenic
plants. Such platforms are talks and workshops. In the case of
‘gaharu’, we recently organized a National ‘Gaharu’ Seminar and
Exhibition at Universiti Putra Malaysia. The event was successful with
the participation of stakeholders, including various plantation
developers. People are interested to find out more about ‘gaharu’ and
the latest development in ‘gaharu’ research. It also serves as a
channel for the general public to voice their opinions. In such events
the idea of transgenic ‘karas’ can be debated.
With forestry research being young in Malaysia, I hope more
stakeholders will come forward and venture into R&D of ‘gaharu’,
which is a valuable entity of Malaysian forest. By doing so, Malaysian
forestry research will see a brighter future and not be left out in the
international arena of agricultural biotechnology.
