Non-falling gene in fruit could cut price hikes, starting with palm oil

Using this discovery, fruit specially bred or gene-edited to not drop from trees, bushes and vines could save manufacturers a mint, as scientists claim spoilage and wastage could be significantly reduced.

Stopping the drop could have a massive impact on reducing both food waste and other costs, according to scientists spearheading the research at sustainable palm oil growers SD Guthrie.

As the planet warms, water scarcity is increasing and, compounded by population increases, fruit growing must become more efficient to ensure supplies remain at adequate levels.

With this in mind, scientists have isolated a gene that prevents fruit from falling from trees, protecting it from damage, bruising or decay, before it’s harvested.

Fruit stays on trees for longer, giving harvesters more time and flexibility to pick it.

The gene has so far been successfully edited into palm oil trees, which will have a knock-on effect on many food and drink sectors relying on the commodity.

Slow the rot from fruit dropIt is believed the edited gene could be applied to more fruits, including apples, peaches and avocados, to help reduce wastage.

Fruit prices are expected to rise between 10% and 12% in 2025, and reducing waste at the source could help slow the hike, according to research and development officer Dr David Ross Appleton at SD Guthrie.

“You want fruit to ripen at the perfect moment and be able to pick it fresh. But at the same time, you don’t want it to fall and get damaged,” he said.

“Picking up fallen fruit requires a lot of physically demanding work, and it’s not something that can easily be done by machines.”

Palm oil harvesters only know the fruit is ripe for picking when it starts to drop from the tree, he explains.

“Now, we are starting to understand the genetic mechanisms behind fruit drop,” says Appleton.

New variety of palm tree“We’ve identified a new variety of tree that doesn’t drop its fruit when ripe. It also changes colour from red to purple, which allows us to harvest it at the ideal moment – before it falls and gets damaged.”

This discovery could also help reduce labour costs, a key driver behind the rising cost of fruit.

“The labour involved in picking up fallen fruit is backbreaking work,” Appleton adds. “If there’s less loose fruit lying around, it would significantly reduce the labour required.”

SD Guthrie has so far grown several hundred plants with the ‘dropless’ fruit in Malaysia and are cultivating forests of more than 20,000 seedlings.

Over time, the new genetic discovery could play a pivotal role in reducing the staggering 1.2bn tonnes of food wasted globally before it even leaves farms, claims Appleton, who describes the genetic breakthrough as “a game changer”.

“The demand for food will only continue to rise. With this discovery, we’ll be able to produce more with fewer resources,” he adds.

“If we scale this across the wider fruit industry, it represents a huge saving.”