Against the backdrop of the rapid development of the durian industry in Southeast Asia, the Malaysian durian special fertilizer R&D team of DEMETER GLOBAL SDN BHD and the agricultural irrigation technology company Life Durian Irrigation jointly established the Durian Research Center (DRC) in 2025. As a non-profit and market-oriented research platform, DRC is committed to promoting the sustainable development of the durian planting industry through technological innovation, while solving the pain points of the industry and exploring the balance path between scientific research value and economic benefits

Core goals:

1. Deepening basic research

Systematically carry out research on the physiological mechanisms of durian tree species, establish a soil-nutrient-water synergistic database, and crack the nutrient absorption rules and stress resistance improvement paths in the durian growth cycle.

2. Localization of technical solutions

Join hands with agricultural colleges in Southeast Asia to develop a planting standard system adapted to the climatic conditions of different production areas, covering key technical modules such as soil improvement, precision fertilization, water-saving irrigation, and biological control of pests and diseases.

3. Industry empowerment platform

Through open data sharing and field demonstrations, provide affordable planting optimization solutions for small and medium-sized growers, simultaneously build an industry-university-research collaboration network, and cultivate localized agricultural technical talents.

Special services:

■ Soil health diagnosis

Establish durian planting soil, leaf surface, fruit macro- and micro-elements, and heavy metal detection technology, and generate personalized soil remediation solutions

■ Water-fertilizer synergy model

Develop climate-responsive intelligent irrigation system to achieve more than 30% increase in water and fertilizer utilization rate

■ Disease-resistant germplasm screening

Establish Southeast Asia's first durian fungal root rot resistance gene bank

■ Carbon footprint assessment

Develop carbon emission measurement tools for the entire life cycle of durian planting to assist sustainable certification

Sustainable operation model:

- DRC adopts the dual-wheel drive of "scientific research feedback + technical services":

- Provide value-added services to planting companies and cooperatives through technology authorization and customized solutions

- Establish an industry membership system to share research results and early warning data in the form of annual subscriptions

- Undertake special research funds from international agricultural organizations

- Join hands with the government of the production area to carry out enterprise, farmer, and field school training projects

DRC's future vision:

We look forward to building DRC into a technical relay station for the durian industry - both deepening the "slow variables" of basic scientific research and paying attention to the "immediate value" of technology implementation. By building an open and inclusive research ecosystem, we can truly transform laboratory results into productivity in the fields, and ultimately achieve a virtuous cycle of "scientific research supporting industry, and industry feeding back to scientific research."