By: Zarith Sofea Ibrahim

SERDANG, 27 August – Universiti Putra Malaysia’s (UPM) plant-based bio-repellent innovation, Mr MoleC, is gaining international recognition after its commercialisation journey was featured in the Better World Project, a publication series by the AUTM.

Mr MoleC, developed by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nur Kartinee Kassim of the Faculty of Science, UPM, who is also the founder of TerraDeca Sdn. Bhd., offers a plant-based alternative for more sustainable crop pest management.

Dr Nur Kartinee said the idea for Mr MoleC emerged from her research into natural materials and bioactive compounds, which led her to explore the potential of plant-based substances in managing agricultural pests.

“This curiosity led me to investigate the potential of plant-based materials in pest management, not necessarily by killing pests directly, but through mechanisms such as repelling pests and disrupting their feeding behaviour,” she said.

Developed in 2019, Mr MoleC underwent several stages of research, development and validation before being commercialised and licensed to TerraDeca Sdn. Bhd. in 2025.

According to Dr Nur Kartinee, one of the major challenges in translating the innovation from the laboratory to the market was scaling up production without compromising the product’s quality and effectiveness.

“The initial production of Mr MoleC in the laboratory was only around 20 millilitres, compared with commercial production requirements of approximately 600 litres per day.

“As suitable technology and machinery were not available at the early stage, we eventually designed and developed our own production machinery for Mr MoleC,” she said.

Beyond technical challenges, gaining farmers’ confidence was another key hurdle, as they needed to see evidence of the product’s effectiveness under real field conditions.

“We had to go into the fields, conduct numerous trial plots, collect data and demonstrate the actual results to farmers. Developing an innovation in the laboratory is only the first step; the real challenge is ensuring that the technology can be scaled up, accepted by users, and that it delivers benefits to farmers,” she said.

The field application of Mr MoleC was also demonstrated through the UPM Sandbox Paddy Initiative 2026 in Sekinchan, which integrates several UPM technologies as part of an integrated crop management approach.

The initiative recorded a 41 per cent increase in rice yield. However, Dr Nur Kartinee stressed that the improvement was the result of a comprehensive crop management approach rather than the contribution of a single technology.

“The Sekinchan Sandbox integrates several complementary UPM technologies to address soil conditions, crop growth, pest management and overall crop management.

“The 41 per cent improvement is a highly encouraging preliminary result, but it needs to be further validated across more locations and growing seasons to ensure consistent performance,” she said.

In addition to receiving the Selangor State Innovation Award 2025, Mr MoleC’s feature in AUTM’s Better World Project provides an avenue for UPM’s research outcomes to gain greater exposure within international technology transfer and commercialisation networks.

The recognition represents not only an achievement for the innovation but could also pave the way for new collaborations, technology-sharing opportunities and access to international markets.

Through its licensing partnership with TerraDeca, Dr Nur Kartinee said Mr MoleC has the potential to expand into the ASEAN market, supported by further validation across different crops and strategic locations, as well as collaborations with industry partners and agricultural agencies.

“My vision is for Mr MoleC to become more than just a Malaysian product. I want it to become an agricultural technology that can be widely adopted across the ASEAN region and eventually reach the global market.

“The success of an innovation should not be measured solely by awards or sales figures, but by how many farmers benefit from it and the extent to which the technology contributes to making agriculture more productive, safer and more sustainable,” she said.

Date of Input: 27/08/2026 | Updated: 04/09/2026 | zarithsofea