MPOB has identified genetic engineering as a promising technology which can be utilized to face challenges such as labour short, age, limited land resources and fluctuations in commodity prices. The production of transgenic oil palm with useful genes has a clear advantage as it could increase return  per unit area. Expression of forgien genes in a particular plant species requires a constitutive or tissue-specific promoter to ensure that the gene (s) will be functional and will enhance the production of the targeter trait. Constitutive promoters are important for ensuring that a specific gene transferred into a plant will be functional in all the plant tissues. They are also important for expressing reporter and selectable marker genes required for establishing a reliable transformation system for a particular plant species. Constitutive promoters can be used to express any gene in any plant species, other than in the species from which they were isolated.

Main Research: Dr Ahmad Parveez Ghulam Kadir