Plant biotech research and development for agribusiness in Jeju

The citrus industry represents a major sector of agribusiness in Jeju successfully nurtured by the local governmental farm bureaus for the past three decades. However, in the face of increasing imports effected under the international free trade agreement, the continuous economic viability of the island’s citrus industry is no longer assured. Thus, it entails exploration and development of new agribusiness potentials that are supplemental and/or alternative to the citrus industry. In this presentation, I will discuss two projects of such potentials. (i) Under the tripartite collaboration among Kumho Life and Environmental Science Laboratory, Cheju National University and South Jeju County, genetically engineered turfgrass cultivars possessing both herbicide- and shade-tolerances (gene pyramiding) are currently at final phase of phenotype evaluations and environmental safety assessments. (ii) Fig fruits with longer shelf-life are being developed with support from Jeju HiTech Industrial Development Institute (HiDI) and at its initial phase of development.