Effectivity of Acremonium sp. and Fusarium sp. as Double Inducer for Agarwood Formation in Aquilaria microcarpa.

Abstract

Aquilaria microcarpa is one of the agarwood trees that produced the best quality of agar. The agar was formed on the infected tree. Acremonium sp. and Fusarium sp. are usually used as inoculant for agar production. Yet, Acremonium as single inoculant was not able to induce the tree to produce a good quality of agarwood. Therefore, Acremonium sp. was combined with Fusarium sp. (served as double inoculant) to induce agar production. This research was aimed at studying the effectiviness of double inoculants to improve quality of agar produce comparing to its single inoculant. A. microcarpa stem was first drilled to make holes, then the hole was filled with sugar solution (2%), inoculated by the first inoculant (A= Acremonium sp. or F= Fusarium sp.) and followed by second inoculant (F= Fusarium sp. or A= Acremonium sp.). Second inoculant was given one week after the first inoculant. Those inoculants were given in different holes in the same tree. Therefore, the treatments were composed of AF and FA as double inoculants, and A or F as a single inoculant. Effectivity of inoculation was determined on the bases of tree fitness and quality criteria such as wood discoloration (intensity, length and wide of browning zone), fragrance level and terpenoid contents. The effectivity was observed each month for four months period. Based on intensity of wood discoloration, length and wide of wood discoloration zone, and fragrance level, double inoculants tended to give a better result than single inoculant. AF stimulated fragrance formation that level and frequency of inoculation point with moderate and strongly fragrance were higher then those of FA. All inoculants, except single inoculant A, stimulated tree to produce triterpenoid. Key words: agarwood, Acremonium sp., Fusarium sp., single inoculant, double inoculant, terpenoid compound