Eksplorasi Peran Mikrob dan Status Hara Tanaman terhadap Pembentukan Gaharu pada Aquilaria malaccensis

Abstract

Agarwood is known as one of non-timber forest commodity in the world. Agarwood has a lot of function such as raw material for perfume, incense, cosmetics, and medicine for some diseases. Indonesia has a good potential resource to produce agarwoods. At present, mechanism and processes of agarwood formation is not yet known exactly. There are three hypothesis in agarwood formation, that are 1) pathology hypothesis, 2) sliced dan pathology, and 3) non-pathology hypothesis. Meanwhile, ancient community used traditional system to stimulate agarwood formation by slicing, nailing, branch cutting, and peeling of stem rind. This research was done to know microbial effect and plant nutrition status in Aquilaria malaccensis and their correlation in agarwood formation. Chemical and biological analysis were used in this research. Chemical analysis was used to determine plant nutrition status. Meanwhile biological analysis was used to examine the microbes that caused agarwood formation. The result of this reseach showed that agarwood was formed either because of assosiation between microbes and Aquilaria malaccensis and slicing in that plant. The highest microbial population was found in branch protected by canopy. According to physiologic analysis, not all microbes in agarwood can dissolve cellulose and pectin. A high number of Agarwood was formed in plant with high N and Mn contents. Field trial showed that fungi were more potential than bacteria in agarwood formation