Diversity and Biosynthetic Activities of Agarwood Associated Fungi

Abstract

Agarwood is a fragrant dark resin produced in plants belonging to the family Thyme-laeaceae and which has a high economic value. The unique fragrance and medicinal applications intensify the value of agarwood. The wild populations of agarwood trees are highly threatened by high economic demand. Therefore, it is worthwhile to develop an artificial agarwood induction technology for the countries that rely on agarwood from the natural habitat of the plants. Fungal induction of agarwood has been shown to be an efficient method. Interestingly, most of the fungi known from agarwood are endophytic. In this paper, we supplement and update the bioactivity of fungi associated with agarwood and their ability to induce agarwood formation. According to the existing literature, 59 endophytic fungal strains of 16 genera induce agarwood production, most of which belong to Fusarium (28 identified strains). Hence, Fusarium is a good candidate for further studies on fungal induced agarwood production.

Fusarium oxysporum infection-induced formation of agarwood (FOIFA): A rapid and efficient method for inducing the production of high quality agarwood

“…For the sustainable development of the agarwood industry, many agarwood-producing countries (Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam) have been developed physical, chemical, and biological induction techniques. Among these three techniques, biological (fungal inoculation) induction is faster than physical induction and safer than chemical induction [29]. Use of fungal inoculum is highly prioritized among all type of fungi due to the regular growth of fungal mycelia which continuously spreads in the plant, resulting in wound development and high-yield agarwood formation [16].…”

Isolation and molecular identification of agarwood-inducing fungi and their virulence test using Aquilaria sp. seedlings

“…Budi et al (2010) stated that the presence of conidia from sporodochia in fungal cultures is the main characteristic of Fusarium sp. Du et al (2022) have asserted 16 genera of endophytic fungi capable of inducing agarwood production, most of which are from the Fusarium genera. In this study, no such conidium cell structure was observed.…”

“…Agarwood is a non-timber forest product with a distinct scent induced by wounding from pathogenic infection in the Thymeleaceae family, such as Aquilaria and Gyrinops species (Nguyen et al 2014;Faizal et al 2020;Mohammad et al 2021;Du et al 2022). The resins accumulated in the xylem of Aquilaria sinensis in response to the infection of pathogenic fungi are secondary metabolites produced through specific pathways (Gao et al 2012).…”

Inoculation strategies for agarwood-producing species in Asia: A systematic review

“…Economically, agarwood is a lucrative investment for cultivation and production. The prices of agarwood in the global market showed significant increase depending of its grade from US$ 6,000 to US$ 10,000 per kilogram [10], to US$ 100,000 to US$ 800,000 per kilogram (best quality agarwood) and US$ 500 to US$ 100,000 per kilogram (other grades agarwood) [11]. Moreover, the price of agarwood essential oil in the global market is US$ 30,000 [9,11].…”

“…The prices of agarwood in the global market showed significant increase depending of its grade from US$ 6,000 to US$ 10,000 per kilogram [10], to US$ 100,000 to US$ 800,000 per kilogram (best quality agarwood) and US$ 500 to US$ 100,000 per kilogram (other grades agarwood) [11]. Moreover, the price of agarwood essential oil in the global market is US$ 30,000 [9,11]. Interestingly, good quality agarwood particularly from old trees and slowly formed agarwood achieved its highest demand and increase in consumer preference in the past decade [11], and the Middle East and Southeast Asia has higher preference for agarwood as raw material for incense and medicinal purposes [10].…”