Khaberni - A Jordanian research team has developed a tomato plant whose fruit remains fresh for weeks using gene editing.
The team was able to reach advanced stages in the development of the tomato plant, allowing its fruit to stay ripe and fresh for several weeks under normal storage conditions.
The leader of the research team and the director of the Synchronous Knowledge Product Center for Scientific Research, Dr. Ibrahim Ali Al-Shoumali, stated that the research project was based on the development of the genetic material of the tomato plant using modern gene-editing techniques (CRISPR Cas9), which are among the latest worldwide technologies in genetic engineering. He noted that this application is the first Jordanian one on the plant genome.
Al-Shoumali explained that the research team included a group of specialized researchers, namely Professor Munther Al-Sadr from the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Jordan, Dr. Fatima Al-Haj Ahmad from the Faculty of Agriculture at Al-Balqa Applied University, along with engineers Bayan Al-Kharabsheh and Ayat Al-Salahat.
He affirmed that this achievement was the result of joint scientific cooperation between several research entities and is one of the fruits of the research groups launched by the presidency of the University of Jordan in recent years, in support of applied scientific research and innovation.
Al-Shoumali thanked Dr. Hadeel Al-Ghazawi, Dean of the College of Agriculture, Dr. Reda Al-Khawaldeh, former director of the Hamdi Mango Center, and Dr. A. Bakhsh Joiya from the CEMB Center at the University of Punjab in Pakistan, for their scientific support and backing during the implementation stages of the project.
