Nuclear technology application in agriculture will be widened

Nuclear technology applications in the field of agriculture to produce premium grade mushroom seeds, specifically the Volvariella mushroom, will be expanded to cut down import dependence.

Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry (MOSTI) Deputy Secretary-General, Prof Dr Ramzah Dambul said via the Mutagenesis technique which used gamma ray, for example, succeeded in producing Volvariella mushroom seeds of high quality.

"Our focus is on producing seeds using gamma ray which is being used for the first time in Malaysia, and it is very encouraging.

"We successfully produce 10,000 bags every month since early this year, in a project to produce Volvariella seeds, and the result is higher quality guaranteed as compared to imported ones," he said after a ceremony to launch a Mushroom Production and Expansion Centre (PPPC) in Kampung Padang Nyior here Sunday.

Also present were state housing and local government, water supply, water source and energy committee chairman Datuk Badrol Hisham Hashim, Malaysian Nuclear Agency director-general Dr Mohid Ashhar Khalid and Kedah Agriculture Department director, Mohamed Bukhori Abdul Rahman.

Ramzah said the construction of the PPPC laboratory was a benchmark in expanding the use of nuclear technology in agriculture.

"Researches and developments conducted are also successful in producing mutant Volvariella which matures faster, producing various variations and more disease resistant," he said.

Badrol Hisham said the laboratory also received a RM290,000 allocation via the MOSTI Social Innovation grant while the Malaysian Nuclear Agency contributed technological know-how. - BERNAMA