BY KHIRTINI K KUMARAN

Dr Abdul Aziz Zakaria

“ My late mother later gave me a two-acre land . Later on , I bought an additional three acres . I started slowly , and by 2000 , I planted all six acres .”

Aziz plants the germinated durian seedlings and leaves them to grow naturally . Durians , he said , are jungle trees and can grow under shade and with minimal care .

His orchard now houses about 60 varieties of durian trees . In addition to the array of durian kinds , he also has about 50 different traditional local fruit trees .

“ At one point , there were about 80 different durian tree varieties in my orchard .”

Because he has a range of species and clones growing in his orchard , each has varied nutrient and water requirements . Eventually , competition will arise , and the survival of the fittest principle will apply .

“ My collection is simply a hobby and is not for commercial purposes . I let the plants grow naturally , and only the fittest and strongest will make it to maturity .

“ As I don ’ t fertilise or use chemicals to promote flowering and fruiting , the trees usually do not bear fruit yearly .”

The collection and orchard

Since 1975 , Aziz has taught soil and water engineering at Universiti Pertanian Malaysia ( UPM ), focusing on irrigation and drainage design for highvalue fruit crops . He retired in 2008 .

He was exposed to many durian clones throughout his tenure at UPM . As a result , he ’ d bring the durian seedlings back to his father , a passionate durian collector . Apart from the learning institute , Aziz also collected seedlings

My collection is simply a hobby and is not for commercial purposes . I let the plants grow naturally , and only the fittest and strongest will make it to maturity . As I don ’ t fertilise or use chemicals to promote flowering and fruiting , the trees usually do not bear fruit yearly .”

from another local durian collector .

“ I also came across several indigenous tropical fruits , including durian of various types and colours , while visiting Brunei and other countries .

“ I started collecting these seedlings and brought them back to Serdang , where I germinated the seeds and later planted them in my orchard in Kelantan .”

Animals are prone to causing damage to his collection of various fruit plants . As a result , he erected cages and obstacles to prevent wild boars and chickens from causing harm .

Aside from animal disturbance , he pointed out that durian trees were prone to disease and weather .

“ Phytophthora palmivora disease , which causes trunk and root canker and fruit rot , is the most common cause of durian tree death .

“ The weather comes in second . Even mature durian trees can perish if there is a two-month drought . Storms and strong winds , on the other hand , can easily harm durian trees . During a storm once , 20 durian trees were uprooted .

“ I keep planting new trees whenever there is open space due to mortality or uprooting .”

Aziz initially kept his collection private . He only began sharing his collection with friends and the general public in 2011 and continued until 2017 .

“ About 300 tourists visited my orchard in 2013 ,” he said , adding that now that he ’ s 76 , he keeps the visits to a bare minimum .

Durian species and varieties

There are about 27 durian species , but only about nine durian species yield edible fruit . Durio zibethinus , native to Borneo and Sumatra , is the most

common edible fruit-producing durian tree species .

According to Aziz , each durian specie has a variety of clones due to crosspollination , cloning and cultivation .

Many durian clones have been registered by the Department of Agriculture since 1934 , with each cultivar assigned a common name and a code number starting with “ D ”. As of 2021 , there are over 200 registered varieties .

There are over 27 durian species , although only roughly nine produce edible fruit . The most common edible fruit-producing durian tree species is Durio zibethinus , native to Borneo and Sumatra .

According to Aziz , each durian species has a diversity of clones because of cross-pollination , cloning , and cultivation .

Since 1934 , the Department of Agriculture has registered many durian clones , each given a common name and a code number beginning with ‘ D ’. There were over 200 variants registered as of 2021 .

“ For example , I have 30 different varieties of a single durian species , each with its particular colour , flavour , and taste ,” he explained .

His top three personal favourites are Tekka / Musang Queen ( D160 ), Udang Merah ( D175 ) and D24 .

“ D24 has a rich flavour and still has its followers , including myself , even after Musang King ( D197 ) dethroned it as the most popular durian .”

The durian plantation and export business

Durio zibethinus , including its clone variants , is the only species available on the international market . Although the durian is not indigenous to Thailand , Thailand is the world ’ s largest exporter ,