Formulation of Alternative Media for Fungal Growth and Its Application as Agarwood-Inducing Agent in Aquilaria Trees

Abstract

This study investigated the growth performance of Fusarium proliferatum isolated from agarwood, on different types of plated media prepared with liquid broth extracts of locally available agricultural products. The potential of F. proliferatum in selected media to induce agarwood formation in Aquilaria trees was also assessed. A total of 27 media formulations were evaluated as alternative media to potato dextrose agar (PDA) for F. proliferatum. The effects of culture media on the diameter growth of fungal mycelium were significant (F = 6.70, df = 26, p < 0.01). The best growth was recorded on 50% soybean followed by PDA and 70% kidney bean with mean mycelium diameters of 7.00 ± 0.00, 6.63 ± 0.83 and 6.50 ± 0.06 cm respectively. In the field trial, F. proliferatum in all three media successfully induced agarwood formation on A. malaccensis and A. crassna with significant discoloration zones compared with the uninoculated control trees (p ≤ 0.05) after five months. Fifty percent soybean in combination with F. proliferatum induced the largest discoloration zone, indicating potential as a cheaper and more accessible alternative to PDA. These results suggest that the combination of a chemical inducer in the form of a liquid media formulation and a biological inducer, in this case, an endophytic fungus could successfully induce agarwood formation in Aquilaria trees.

Effect of Karas (Aquilaria malaccensis) on Male Reproductive Organs and Sperm Quality in Adult Sprague Dawley Rats

“…In Malaysia, there a few types of herbals that are commonly used to treat many kinds of diseases traditionally such as Ficus deltoidea , Labisia pumila , Cosmos caudatus and Nigella sativa ( Afzan et al 2019 ; Uzbek & Shahidan 2019 ; Mohamad et al 2019 ; Zakaria et al 2021 ). Among these herbals, Aquilaria species, locally known as Karas or Gaharu, is identified as one of the most valuable plants in Malaysia due to their high-value fragrant resinous wood (agarwood) ( Liu et al 2019 ; Desa et al 2021 ; Rozihawati et al 2022 ). It is classified under the family of Thymelaeaceae and widely distributed in south and south-east Asia such as Malaysia, India, Thailand and Indonesia.…”