FRUIT BREEDING AT MARDI: A RETROSPECT OVER THREE DECADES

The Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) was established in 1969 to conduct research and development on agriculture, excluding rubber, oil palm and cocoa. Since the inception of MARDI three decades ago, the Institute had bred many new fruit varieties with commercial importance, notably Eksotika papaya, MDUR durians, Josapine pineapple and Melomas pomelo. There are many other potential selections still in the pipeline like self-compatible starfruit, quality hybrid rambutan and mango, F₁ watermelon hybrids, pineapple for canning in natural juice and disease resistant papaya and banana.
Over three decades of fruit breeding, there have been many changes in the direction and strategies in response to the changing external influences on the crop. These include changes in fruit priorities dictated by the national agriculture policies, consumer and market needs, evolution of orchard structures and changes in the breeding methodologies. This paper discusses these changes in relation to the impact in the development of new varieties and the advancements in fruit breeding during the current MARDI era.