Agarwood-producing Trees Research Articles

Chromosome-level genome assembly of Aquilaria yunnanensis

Aquilaria yunnanensis is an endangered agarwood-producing tree currently listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The agarwood it produces has important medicinal and economic value, but its population has sharply declined due to human destruction and habitat reduction. Therefore, obtaining genomic information on A. yunnanensis is beneficial for its protection work. We assembled a chromosome-level reference genome of A. yunnanensis by using BGI short reads, PacBio HiFi long reads, coupled with Hi-C technology. The final genome assembly of A. yunnanensis is 847.04 Mb, with N50 size of 99.68 Mb, in which 805.49 Mb of the bases were anchored on eight pseudo-chromosomes. Two gapless pseudo-chromosomes were detected in the assembly. A total of 27,955 protein-coding genes as well as 74.65% repetitive elements were annotated. These findings may provide valuable resources in conservation, functional genomics, and molecular breeding of A. yunnanensis, as well as the molecular phylogenetics and evolutionary patterns in Aquilaria.

Comparison of the Morphological Structure of Pollen in Five Provenances of Gyrinops versteegii (Thymelaeaceae) in Lombok

Gyrinops versteegii (Thymelaeaceae) is one of the agarwood-producing trees originating from Lombok, there are five provenances, namely Pantai, Madu, Buaya, Soyun, and Beringin. This study aims to compare the morphological structure of pollen in five provenances of G. versteegii in Lombok. The method of sampling and data analyzes were used random sampling and descriptive. Samples were taken from West Lombok: Sidemen Village (Pantai), North Lombok: Menggala Village (Buaya), Gangga Village (Beringin), Central Lombok: Taman Baru Village (Madu), and Soyun from Karang Pule Village, Mataram. The study parameters were pollen diameter and pollen morphology: shape, aperture, and sculpture. The results showed that the size of pollen from Buaya was wider than that from Madu, Beringin and Pantai. Based on the length of the polar axis/equatorial diameter, Buaya Provenance, Beringin and Pantai pollen are round in shape, and Madu Provenance is subprolate in shape. The Buaya, Madu and Beringin provenances have a monocolpate opening type, and the Periporate type for the Pantai provenance.

Life history traits associated with high fecundity help offset the worst genetic impacts of targeted poaching in Aquilaria sinensis

Poaching is a global issue that threatens many species. However, little research attention has been paid to key life history traits that might help offset some of the worst genetic and demographic impacts of poaching. We investigate the onset of flowering and fecundity in Aquilaria sinensis, an agarwood-producing tree species that faces a constant threat of poaching throughout its native range in southern China. We hypothesise that certain life history traits in this species could buffer genetic erosion associated with selective poaching of larger individuals. We genotyped 1464 individuals using 15 microsatellite markers and examined the difference in genetic diversity between seedlings and adults, as well as that between individuals either side of the threshold diameter at breast height (DBH) size class targeted by poachers. Our study reveals that flowering commences at a DBH of 2.50 cm and that even trees at a DBH of about 6.9 cm invest heavily in seed-set, but that poachers tend to target individuals with a DBH of 15.25 cm or greater. No significant difference in genetic diversity was detected among individuals belonging to seedling and adult life-history stages, or between targeted and non-targeted size classes. The lack of such difference could be explained by certain life history traits which offset some of the most adverse impacts of poaching in Aquilaria sinensis, with important implications for the management and conservation of other species that are threatened by poaching.

A Bibliometric Analysis of Agarwood Research, 1959-2021

Agarwood, is a fragrant resinous wood unique due to its peculiarity of being formed and harvested only from diseased trees of certain genus of Thymelaeaceae. It has survived years of history and established itself in the modern agarwood value chain. It is only logical that the progress has been fueled by scientific research carried out over the years. This current review is the first bibliometric study to uncover the agarwood research trend across the many themes. Bibliometric data were extracted from Scopus database in March 2021 using the search term ‘agarwood’ within the year 1959 to 2021. A total of 513 records were analysed using VosViewer and Publish or Perish software. Collectively, the articles were cited 6216 times with citations per year of 100.26 and h-index of 42. The top-contributing countries were China, Malaysia, Japan and Indonesia. Most of the publications were in the area of agricultural and biological sciences; biochemistry, genetics and molecular biology; chemistry; and pharmacology/pharmaceutics. The early years of agarwood research was focused on chemical compounds followed by studies on biological effects before the themes became varied in the last ten years. Critical knowledge gaps identified include safety of agarwood and its related materials, translational link between proof of concept and clinical applications as well as role of agarwood in socioeconomic development of a nation. Altogether, this work could be used as a landscape to chart the future research that leverage agarwood-producing trees as economic plant species towards progressive yet sustainable socioeconomic development and benefit to mankind.

Feasibility of Agarwood Cultivation in Indonesia: Dynamic System Modeling Approach

Most of the Indonesian agarwood in the international market is harvested from the wild, which raises concerns regarding its sustainability. The Government of Indonesia encourages agarwood cultivation produced from the cultivated Agarwood-Producing Tree (APT) to overcome this concern and replace natural agarwood. APT cultivation in Indonesia is not a new development, but it has faced various obstacles, ranging from production quantity and quality to funding and marketing. Therefore, an appropriate policy is needed to support the success of APT cultivation. This study aims to develop a dynamic system model in order to identify the gaps and determine appropriate policy strategies to improve APT cultivation in Indonesia. The model was established by compiling three conceptual stages: planting to harvest, cost–benefit analysis, and feasibility analysis. Agarwood from Aquilaria malaccensis Lam. cultivated by the community and private sector, which produces kemedangan (an agarwood grade in the Indonesian market) and oil, was chosen for the model. The model developed shows that APT cultivation development in the private sector and the community is unfeasible with the business as usual. There are three options to simulate the feasibility of agarwood produces from APT cultivation. The best scenarios are chosen based on the feasibility indicator, when benefit is higher than cost. The development of APT by the private sector that produces kemedangan and oil products is feasible, with the invention of more effective inoculant and processing technology (scenario 1), as well as applying high thinning, which can increase the yield. Oil production requires more investment, so the revenue obtained is lower than the production cost, resulting in the unfeasibility of the production. The development of APT by the community will be feasible with scenario 2, if there is government funding for the establishment of APT cultivation, inoculants application, and harvesting. Based on the model scenario, APT cultivation will be ecologically sustainable, economically feasible, and socially acceptable if carried out by the private sector or the community by applying inoculation techniques and selecting inoculants to increase production effectiveness, and will be supported by lower production costs and market stability. The Indonesian government needs to take several policies to encourage APT development, including financial assistance for APT development, setting inoculant standards at affordable prices, simplifying trade administration, stabilizing agarwood product prices at the local level, and law enforcement.

Chromosomal-level reference genome of the moth Heortia vitessoides (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), a major pest of agarwood-producing trees

The moth Heortia vitessoides Moore (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) is a major pest of ecologically, commercially and culturally important agarwood-producing trees in the genus Aquilaria. In particular, H. vitessoides is one of the most destructive defoliating pests of the incense tree Aquilaria sinesis, which produces a valuable fragrant wood used as incense and in traditional Chinese medicine [33]. Nevertheless, a genomic resource for H. vitessoides is lacking. Here, we present a chromosomal-level assembly for H. vitessoides, consisting of a 517 megabase (Mb) genome assembly with high physical contiguity (scaffold N50 of 18.2 Mb) and high completeness (97.9% complete BUSCO score). To aid gene annotation, 8 messenger RNA transcriptomes from different developmental stages were generated, and a total of 16,421 gene models were predicted. Expansion of gene families involved in xenobiotic metabolism and development were detected, including duplications of cytosolic sulfotransferase (SULT) genes shared among lepidopterans. In addition, small RNA sequencing of 5 developmental stages of H. vitessoides facilitated the identification of 85 lepidopteran conserved microRNAs, 94 lineage-specific microRNAs, as well as several microRNA clusters. A large proportion of the H. vitessoides genome consists of repeats, with a 29.12% total genomic contribution from transposable elements, of which long interspersed nuclear elements (LINEs) are the dominant component (17.41%). A sharp decrease in the genome-wide percentage of LINEs with lower levels of genetic distance to family consensus sequences suggests that LINE activity has peaked in H. vitessoides. In contrast, opposing patterns suggest a substantial recent increase in DNA and LTR element activity. Together with annotations of essential sesquiterpenoid hormonal pathways, neuropeptides, microRNAs and transposable elements, the high-quality genomic and transcriptomic resources we provide for the economically important moth H. vitessoides provide a platform for the development of genomic approaches to pest management, and contribute to addressing fundamental research questions in Lepidoptera.

THE POPULATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF AGARWOOD PRODUCING TREE (AQUILARIA MALACCENSIS) IN RIAU PROVINCE

YULIZAH, RAHAJOE, J. S., FEFIRENTA, A. D. & NUGROHO, A. D. 2022. The population and distribution of agarwood producing tree (Aquilaria malaccensis) in Riau Province. Reinwardtia 21(1): 1–11. — Riau Province is one of the largest agarwood producers and supplier of Aquilaria malaccensis species in Indonesia, based on the data of trade quota that was issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry in 2018. The quota data will be used for monitoring the sustainability of the population agarwood producing trees in the wild. The aimed of the study were to determine the natural population distribution and habitat preference of wild agarwood-producing trees in Riau Province. The agarwood population census carried out by making random plots in the study sites, soil moisture, soil pH, temperature and the humidity recorded, and the macronutrients data also used to support the habitat preferences for the agarwood producing taxa tree. Seven locations of agarwood producing trees were selected for the study sites including Taman Hutan Raya (TAHURA: Forest Park Garden) Sultan Syarif Hasyim (SSH), three community forests in Siak Sri Indapura District (Gosib, Perincit and Dosan), and three community forests in Bengkalis District (Langkat, Pangkalan Jambi, and Duri Km 13). The density of agarwood producing trees in TAHURA SSH recorded for about 38 plants ha-1, with an average diameter distribution was 15 cm, and the tree height was 9.51 m. Perincit data showed the highest density, with 8.13 plants ha-1 with an average distribution of tree diameters was recorded for 20.8 cm and the tree height was 9.11 m. While the lowest tree density was recorded for 0.58 plant ha-1 in Gosib, the average diameter and tree height were recorded for 40.15 cm and 14.70 m, respectively. Environmental parameters and soil chemistry were the main factors to support the tree growth of agarwood. The result was necessary for the conservation program of A. Malaccensis, and support data for providing potential seeds source and seedling. The nutrient content preference from the finding of this research will also be used as the necessary information of the needs of nutrient content in the natural habitat of agarwood plantations.

Effects of fungicide treatment on metabolite profiles of Aquilariamalaccensis

Aquilaria malaccensis is an agarwood-producing tree. Previous studies have shown that endophytic fungi may colonize A. malaccensis. Endophytes are known to be capable of altering plants' secondary metabolites, although the mechanism adopted by the plants remains unclear. This paper aimed to observe the differences in the metabolite profiles of A. malaccensis by eliminating the presence of endophytic fungi with fungicide. Three solvents i.e., ethanol, ethyl acetate, and chloroform, were used for extracting the 2-year-old A. malaccensis. The extracts were examined by scanning with UV–Vis Spectrophotometry and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) for the metabolites profile. The absorbances data were analyzed using Principal Component Analysis (PCA), followed by Partial Least Squares-Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA). The results showed that groupings between control and fungicide-treated extract formed in the PLS-DA score plot. The important wavelength values for the separation were identified. Identification of compounds found inside the A. malaccensis plants based on the GC-MS results was conducted. Several compounds were specifically found in the control-treated extract of A. malaccensis plants. Respectively, the total phenolics and total flavonoids inside the A. malaccensis extract were calculated using Folin-Ciocalteu's and aluminum chloride tests. A decrease in phenolic and flavonoid content was observed mostly in the roots. These findings are fundamental to understanding endophytes' ability to alter the secondary metabolites produced in A. malaccensis.

Agarwood Tree Characteristics based on Different Growing Habitat and Ecophysiological Attributes in the Papuan Tropical Forests

Understanding tropical forest characteristics, including forest derivative products such as agarwood, is pivotal. This study focused on perceiving an ideal habitat of the lowland tropical forest ecosystem of West Papua for agarwood-producing tree species. In further, this study identified a close association of biotic and abiotic characteristics to underpin agarwood-producing tree growth. Six sites in three different locations were established to ascertain forest composition and the associated insects. Soil samples were collected to analyze their physical and chemical properties using the Kjeldahl, the Walky and Black, and Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS). In addition, temperature, relative humidity, and light intensity were measured. The results noticed two agarwood producing species, Gyrinops caudate and Aquilaria sp., found at an altitude of 400–402 masl in Manokwari, 200–300 masl in Teluk Wondama, and 167.7 masl in Teluk Bintuni. There were no significant differences in temperature, relative humidity, and light intensity. The soil cation exchange capacity was moderate in Manokwari, but it was low in Teluk Wondama and Teluk Bintuni. Total C-organic content in three research sites was classified as high. However, total N content in the three research sites was in the moderate category. The ideal habitat for agarwood in the West Papua forest is from the lowlands to the highlands. Environmental conditions that support the growth of agarwood are moderate temperature, high humidity, and moderate light intensity. Soil fertility also affected the natural growth of agarwood trees. Keywords: abiotic, agarwood association, lowland tropical forest, soil characteristics

Agarwood formation in Aquilaria beccariana and Aquilaria microcarpa in response to inoculation of newly isolated fungi from Brunei Darussalam

Abstract. Mohammad YH, Shivanand P, Metali F, Taha H, Matussin NBA, Abdul-Halim AMA, Mohaimin AZ. 2021. Agarwood formation in Aquilaria beccariana and Aquilaria microcarpa in response to inoculation of newly isolated fungi from Brunei Darussalam. Biodiversitas 22: 4131-4138. Aquilaria is an important agarwood-producing tree, but naturally occurring agarwood is rare. Artificial induction method is the most commonly used to produce agarwood in a short time. Out of the 21 species of Aquilaria, Brunei Darussalam houses two species that produce high quality agarwood, namely Aquilaria beccariana and A. microcarpa. The aims of this study are to artificially induce agarwood formation using eight different induction treatments: six fungal inoculant treatments with two control treatments, and to isolate and identify fungal strains from naturally infected agarwood tree using DNA barcoding. Agarwood formation was observed at four different time intervals i.e. 1, 3, 6 and 9 months of post-inoculation. Results exhibited that the area and the total length of discoloration zone were significantly greater at 6 and 9 months of incubation period. Induction treatment did not significantly affect the area and the total length of discoloration. FTIR analysis revealed that two aromatic compounds (C – H and C – C stretching) were detected at the wavelength ranges of 3000 – 2800 cm-1, and 1500 – 1400 cm-1 respectively, and OH group was detected at 3600 – 3400 cm-1. Nine fungal strains from Aspergillus, Fusarium, Mucor and Trichosporon were isolated and identified from a naturally infected agarwood, and the last two fungi (Mucor and Trichosporon) were never been previously reported.

The effect of crown pruning and induction of Acremonium sp. on agarwood formation in Gyrinops caudata in West Papua, Indonesia

Abstract. Auri A, Faridah E, Sumardi, Hardiwinoto S. 2021. The effect of crown pruning and induction of Acremonium sp. on agarwood formation in Gyrinops caudata in West Papua, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 22: 2604-2611. Agarwood-producing trees have been planted by the community, but have currently not produced agarwood resin. This research examines the crown pruning effect and fungi inoculation effectivity on the formation of agarwood resin in Gyrinops caudata. The environmental modification was also ascertained based on the real environmental situation in natural forests. Furthermore, it was assumed that environmental conditions significantly influenced the growth, G. caudata tree association, and fungi infection. This method involved the tree crown cover modification. Tree crown was categorized into three different classes, i.e. dense crown (no pruning); moderate (pruning 25%), and sparse (pruning 50%). The results showed that inoculating fungi of Acremonium sp. to infection coverage area after three months produced the best results, due to Fcount 79.671. However, crown prunings obtained through heavy, moderate and non-pruning did not show any effect on stem infection spread. In the sixth month, it was observed that the fungi inoculation factor of Acremonium sp. had a significant effect on infection spread formation by Fcount of 168.894. The change in wood internal tissue also had a highly significant effect as depicted by Fcount 461.516. The fragrance level treatment also showed a considerable effect with Fcount 290.385.

The complete chloroplast genome of Walla Patta, Gyrinops walla (Thymelaeaceae), an agarwood-producing tree species from Sri Lanka

Gyrinops walla is an important agarwood-producing tree and threatened species from Sri Lanka. Herein, we assembled and characterized the complete chloroplast (cp) genome of G. walla as a genomic resource for conservation purposes. The 175,130 bp long genome is comprised of 87,376 bp large single-copy (LSC) and 3316 bp small single-copy (SSC) regions, which are separated by two inverted repeat (IR) region, each with a size of 42,291 bp. A total of 140 genes were predicted for the cp genome, which includes 94 protein-coding, 38 tRNA, and eight rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis showed that G. walla is fully resolved in a sister position to Aquilaria in the family Thymelaeaceae. The data provided will be useful for study on the molecular phylogenetics and evolution of Thymelaeaceae in the future.

Fusarium solani induces the formation of agarwood in Gyrinops versteegii (Gilg.) Domke branches

Agarwood is a resinous wood produced by some members of plant family Thymelaeaceae under certain conditions. Agarwood is highly prized, but its formation requires a long-time process in nature. Therefore, various induction techniques have been explored to hasten the process. In this study, we induced agarwood in Gyrinops versteegii, one of the most abundant agarwood-producing trees in Indonesia. We used 12 trees and wounded four branches on each tree through an injection process. We used two strains of the endophytic fungi Fusarium solani isolated from Gorontalo and Jambi Provinces. After 3 months, the inoculated wood had an extensive resinous zone, when compared to wounded control wood. Gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric analysis of the inoculated samples revealed the presence of several sesquiterpenes characteristic of agarwood. These included alloaromadendrene, β-eudesmol and β-selinene as well as the chromone derivatives 2-(2-phenylethyl) chromen-4-one, 6-methoxy-2-(2-phenylethyl) chromen-4-one, and 6,7-dimethoxy-2-(2-phenylethyl) chromen-4-one. We conclude that this method successfully induced agarwood to form in a matter of months and could be used to enhance the success of agarwood cultivation.

Agarwood in the forest community and its potential depletion in West Papua

Agarwood or eaglewood is a trading name of a solid resin from the two genera Aquilaria and Gyrinops which belongs to the Thymeleacea. The declining population of agarwood in natural forests placed the commodity regulated in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Indonesia as one of the habitats of those two genera and also the main exporting country of agarwood has an interest in ensuring the sustainability of agarwood. This study aims to provide an updated habitat of agarwood-producing trees and to estimate the potential density of the agarwood species. Research conducted in the forest of Natural Tourism Park of Beriat, West Papua, showed that Aquilaria filaria grows well in the forest. Five adult individuals were found in karst forest where 72% were dominated by small trees (DBH <20 cm). In terms of forest communities, Aquilaria's basal area reaches 1.9% of the total basal area and has a low importance value of 0.016 in the first dimension of Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The overall potential for agarwood-producing trees was estimated to be only around 2.50 and 2.89 for tree and seedling per hectare, respectively. The potential density is decreased when compared to the estimated density carried out 20 years ago which was estimated at around 4.33 trees per hectare. Efforts to protect agarwood, one of which is by determining trade quotas, need to be carried out optimally in order to minimize the decline in agarwood populations in their natural forests.

Using genetic markers to identify the origin of illegally traded agarwood-producing Aquilaria sinensis trees

Because of high market demand, agarwood-producing trees are frequently illegally traded in Asia and are usually priced high if they are cut from natural forests. In China, some of these traded Aquilaria sinensis trees are declared to be from natural population(s) and are said to produce agarwood “easily and fast”. To distinguish the origins and genetic differences of natural populations from cultivated ones, we used genetic markers, microsatellites and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) to compare them to trees from both cultivated and known natural origin trees. Our microsatellite results revealed that the illegally traded trees were genetically close to cultivated trees, indicating that they were of cultivated origin. By separating SNPs into genic (in genic regions) and nongenic categories representing functional and non-functional SNPs, our results revealed that the genic SNP markers did not detect more genetic differences between the illegally traded A. sinensis trees and cultivated ones than the nongenic SNP markers did, indicating that they are not functionally discernable from the cultivated trees. Our study revealed that sources labelled as natural by poachers might not have natural origins, which is especially true for agarwood-producing species given their limited natural populations and their long and extensive cultivation history. Our results may reduce the public’s desire for natural agarwood from A. sinensis and other agarwood-producing species and benefit the legal agarwood trade.

Characterization of the complete chloroplast genome of Aquilaria sinensis, an endangered agarwood-producing tree

Aquilaria sinensis is one of the most important agarwood-producing trees but critically endangered at present. In this study, we produced the complete chloroplast (cp) genome of A. sinensis via genome survey analysis. The assembled genome is 174,914 base-pairs (bp) in length, with one large single-copy region of 87,361 bp and one small single-copy region of 3347 bp separated by two inverted repeats of 42,103 bp. The genome contains a total of 142 genes, including 96 protein-coding genes, 8 rRNAs, and 38 tRNAs. The phylogenomic tree strongly supports Aquilaria as a monophyly and A. sinensis sister to A. yunnanensis.

Sustainability Strategy of Agarwood-Production Trees in Lombok Island using Harvesting Matrix

Eaglewood (Gyrinops verstiigee) is one example of a commercially valuable aromatic plant in the form of agarwood. The high selling value of agarwood encourages people to use it. The distribution area of Agarwood-producing trees is found in several regions in Indonesia. One of agarwood producers has been widely exploited in West Nusa Tenggara Province. The problem is the number of population and the quality of agarwood production which is declining due to exploitation carried out continuously and excessively without calculations and improper harvesting techniques. Therefore, a forest management model that cares for sustainability, called a sustainable harvesting model, could be used. This research used harvesting matrix to build this model. This model considers the initial configuration of the forest to be the same as the final configuration of the forest, so that the harvesting could be done continuously without damaging the forest configuration. The location of data collection was conducted in several areas, such as Orong Puncak, Lembah Sari, Orong Selatan, Kekait, Sepakek, East Lombok, and Kerujuk. The data obtained were divided into 5 intervals based on the diameter of the eaglewood tree. The research found that the number of trees that could be harvested on one harvesting period at each interval of trees diameter, i.e. 0 tree in 0-10 cm interval; 388 trees in 10-20 cm interval; 270 trees in 20-30 cm interval; 17 trees in 30-40 cm interval; and 3 trees in 40-50 cm interval. Harvesting matrix could be used to help the government in order to build a strategy for the sustainability of eaglewood trees in Lombok Island.

Isolation Process and Compound Identification of Agarwood Essential Oils from Aquilaria crassna Cultivated at Three Different Locations in Vietnam

Agarwood and agarwood essential oils are commodities with great commercial value. In Vietnam, the agarwood industry has been growing, with more than 10,000 ha of forest land reserved for the cultivation of Aquilaria crassna, an agarwood-producing tree. The aim of this study was to present a hydrodistillation process to recover agarwood essential oil and to compare chemical compositions of agarwood samples harvested from various locations in Vietnam. Three agarwood samples representing products from A. crassna trees cultivated in the provinces of Bac Giang and Khanh Hoa, and on the Phu Quoc island (Kien Giang province) of Vietnam were subjected to hydrodistillation, resulting in essential oil yields of 0.32%, 0.27%, and 0.25% (w/w), respectively. Using GC–MS analysis, a total of 44 volatile compounds were identified in the obtained oils. Most of the constituents were oxygenated sesquiterpenes and had been previously found in other agarwood oil samples. Notable compounds of other chemical classes were aromatics and fatty acids. The three oil samples showed a common volatile profile, which is characterized by the dominance of eremophilane, agarofurans, and eudesmane sesquiterpenes, while vetispirane and guaiane sesquiterpenes were found in smaller quantities. Desired compounds, such as neopetasane (7.47–8.29%), dihydrokaranone (2.63–3.59%), β-agarofuran (3.04–6.18%), and agarospirol (2.98–3.42%), were present in substantial quantities, suggesting that the essential oils could be commercialized as fragrant materials of high value.

Antioxidant and Antifungal Activity of Endophytic Fungi Associated with Agarwood Trees

Several species of Aquilaria and Gyrinops are native to Indonesia and well known as agarwood-producing trees with a high economic value. Their bioactive compounds have a wide spectrum of uses, such as in medicine and cosmetics. These genera have undergone extensive search for novel bioactive compounds. The purpose of this study was to isolate, identify, and characterize the endophytic fungi community associated with Aquilaria malaccensis, A. microcarpa, Gyrinops versteegii, and A. crassna trees and investigate their bioactive properties as antioxidant agents and antagonists. A total of 50 fungi were successfully isolated from different tissues of the four species of agarwood-producing trees. Two isolates exhibited strong antioxidant activity, namely, Apodus oryzae (R2MC3A, IC50 60.92 mg/mL) and Diaporthe sp. (P1DS1[C], IC50 76.65 mg/mL). Two isolates, Pestalotiopsis theae (P3BS3[B]) and Curvularia sp. (P2CD3A), showed >75% antifungal activity against pathogenic Fusarium solani. The results revealed that endophytic fungi associated with the studied agarwood-producing trees had potential antioxidant and antifungal activities for further applications in biotechnology.

Microsatellites development and cross-amplification for Aquilaria sinensis, an endangered agarwood-producing tree

Microsatellites development and cross-amplification for Aquilaria sinensis, an endangered agarwood-producing tree