AGARWOOD PRODUCING FUNGAL INOCULANT FORMULATION

IN KETIMUNAN TREE (Gyrinops versteegii DOMKE)

I Made Mega1*, Dewa Ketut Suanda2, Desak Nyoman Kasniari1, and

I Gede Ketut Susrama3
1
Soil and Environment Department, Agroecotechnology Study Program, Faculty of Agriculture,
Udayana University,
2
Professor in Agronomy, Agronomy and Horticulture Department, Agroecotechnology Study
Program, Faculty of Agriculture, Udayana University
3
Agricultural Pests and Diseases Department, Agroecotechnology Study Program, Faculty of
Agriculture, Udayana University,
*
Corresponding author: mega_made@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to find out the agarwood producing fungal inoculant formulation that infect
Ketimunan tree (Gyrinops versteegii DOMKE) effectively and resulted in high quality of agarwood.
Randomized Completely Block Design was applied in this study with formulation of Fusarium solani
and Rhizopus sp inoculant in liquid and solid form were combined as treatments. Treatments were:
solid Fusarium solani inoculant, solid Rhizopus sp inoculant, mixture of solid Fusarium solani
inoculant and solid Rhizopus sp inoculant, liquid Fusarium solani inoculant, liquid Rhizopus sp
inoculant, mixture of liquid Fusarium solani inoculant and liquid Rhizopus sp inoculant, and mixture
of solid and liquid of Fusarium solani and Rhizopus sp inoculants. There are three replicates for each
treatment. Parameters measured were level of fragrance, agarwood color, and its resin content. The
result showed that all formulations affected resin content significantly compared to control of
agarwood. Mixture of liquid Fusarium solani and liquid Rhizopus sp inoculant showed the best
quality agarwood with quality characteristics: brownish black or agarwood with black and brownish-
black color, very strong fragrance, and with 13.58% resin content.

Key words: agarwood forming fungi, Gyrinops versteegii

INTRODUCTION household (Paimin, 2004). Agarwood has a

lot of uses in human life such as 1) industrial
Agarwood is one of economically raw material of perfumes, fragrances and
valuable forestry products and also as an cosmetics, 2) material for religious ritual
export commodity. According to Indonesian activities, 3) as raw material of many kinds
Forestry Department that since 1997 until of natural healing medicines namely: anti-
September 2001, Indonesian agarwood asthmatics, anti-microbe, nerve stimulant,
export volume tends to decreased from stomach ache medicine, sex stimulant, pain
328,496 tons in 1997, 313,308 tons in 1998; killer, cancer drug, renal medicine, relieving
308,186 tons in 1999; 144,852 tons in 2000, stress, liver drug, malaria and diarrhea
and 184,069 tons in 2001. Agarwood selling medicine (Sumarna, 2002). Based on the
price is very attractive, recently reached 50 result of phytochemical analysis, it is known
million IDR per kilogram in international that agar wood leaves containing phenol,
market. Furthermore, the selling price of flavonoid and steroid (Mega and Swastini,
agarwood continuously increases due to 2010).
increasing demand of agarwood around the Agarwood export from Indonesia
world. In Saudi Arabia, for example, was increasing until year 2000, however
agarwood become the requirement of every then agarwood production has declined

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 AGARWOOD PRODUCING FUNGAL INOCULANT FORMULATION IN KETIMUNAN TREE (Gyrinops versteegii DOMKE) | I Made
Mega, Dewa Ketut Suanda, Desak Nyoman Kasniari, and I Gede Ketut Susrama

afterward till the end of year 2002 which its versteegii DOMKE). Mucharromah (in
production only reached an average of about Syarieva, 2009) mention that Fusarium
45 tons per year. Decreased production is cylindriscorpum and Fusarium oxysporum
mainly due to high exploitation; especially were two best fungi for producing agar
high quality agarwood has collected without wood in Aquilaria malacensis. Since 2003
any conservation measure. Most of in Tabanan Regency, west part of Bali,
exported agarwood from Indonesia was 36,750 Ketimunan plant has been planted
taken from Indonesian tropical rain forest. (Tabanan Plantation and Forestry Agency,
Agarwood high demand and high selling 2009). Furthermore, Ketimunan plant has
price resulting in inappropriate harvesting cultivated more than 75,000 plants
for agarwood has been done and so resulted approximately and recently people in Bali
in agarwood-producing trees getting lower continuously grow more Ketimunan trees.
and became rare. The scarcity of agarwood- Producing agarwood require to apply fungi
producing plants is declared by Indonesian to induce the formation of agarwood. Until
Ministry of Forestry Appendix II as a now, effective formulation containing fungi
protected plant (Parman, 2004). producing agarwood is not available yet. In
In anticipating the scarcity of 2009, a research concerning kinds of fungi
agarwood producing plant and to meet infecting Gyrinops versteegii was conducted
agarwood sustainable export in the future, by Mega and Phabiola. The research result
plants producing agarwood cultivation is showed that Fusarium solani and Rhizopus
necessary. Plant producing agarwood sp could infect Ketimunan plant and resulted
cultivation are as follow : a) vigorous free in to agarwood formation however its
disease seedling provision, b) suitable quality is still rather low. Therefore, further
planting area, c) appropriate planting research is needed with the aim to find out
technique, d) proper fertilization, e) precise the effective inoculant formulation to infect
plant pest and diseases control, and f) plant producing agarwood efficiently and
agarwood harvesting in a sustainable then resulted in high quality of agarwood.
manner. Inoculating fungi producing Through this research high quality agarwood
agarwood is critical step of this work in yield is expected and finally could increase
producing high quality agarwood. In this farmer’s income and welfare.
matter, suitable fungi inoculant that could
infect plant producing agarwood should be MATERIALS AND METHODS
properly considered. Each plant producing
This research was conducted from
agarwood cultivated in certain place needs
June 2012 until October 2013. Fungi
certain kind of fungi so difference plant
producing agarwood inoculant and its
producing agarwood in difference
formulation were made in Soil Biology
geographic and climate condition need
laboratory, Agriculture Faculty, Udayana
difference species of fungi producing
University, Denpasar. Fungi formulation
agarwood.
injection to plant producing agarwood was
According to the study result of
conducted in Marga Village, Marga District,
Mega and Phabiola (2010), Fusarium solani
Tabanan Regency, Bali Province.
and Rhizopus sp could infect plant
Randomized Block Design was applied in
producing agarwood and producing resinous
this research, and there were seven
heartwood in Ketimunan plant (Gyrinops

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ISSN ONLINE: 9 772303 337 008

formulations were tested as follow: RESULT AND DISCUSSION

A. Formulation containing solid
Fusarium solani inoculant, Agarwood Color
B. Formulation containing solid The results showed in Table 1
Rhizopus sp inoculant, indicated that agarwood color of each
C. Formulation containing mixture of treatment varies such as brown, blackish
solid Fusarium solani and Rhizopus brown, brownish black, and black. The
sp inoculant, darkish color was black to brownish black
D. Formulation containing liquid produced by F treatment (mix of liquid
Fusarium solani inoculant, Fusarium solani and liquid Rhizopus sp) and
E. Formulation containing liquid G treatment (Combination liquid and solid
Rhizopus sp inoculant, of Fusarium solani and Rhizopus sp).
F. Formulation containing mixture of Treatment B and D also produced dark color
liquid Fusarium solani and liquid agarwood, however less dark compare to
Rhizopus sp inoculants, and, treatment F and G. Treatment A, C, and E
G. Formulation containing mixture of produced relatively brown agarwood.
solid and liquid of Fusarium solani
and Rhizopus sp inoculants. Agarwood Fragrance Level
Inoculant formations were treated
The statistically analysis of the result
into 4-6 years old Ketimunan plant using
on agarwood fragrance level of Ketimunan
inoculation equipment and each treatment
tree is presented in Table 2. The results
repeated three times. Twenty one Ketimunan
indicated that inoculant formulation
plants were treated all together.
treatment affects level of agarwood
Quantitative data of agarwood color, level of
fragrance were not significant, however, the
agarwood fragrance, and agarwood resin
highest fragrance level was produced by F
content were analysis statistically using
(4,73) treatment (Combination liquid of
analysis of variance (ANOVA) and
Fusariumsolani and Rhizopussp) in value
Duncan’s Multiple Range Test (DRMT) at
4.67, catagorized is a very strong fragrance,
P=0.05. Qualitative data were compared to
and then respectively followed by G
SNI (Indonesian National Standard) of
treatment (4,67), D (4,53), A (4,37), B
agarwood criteria. For determining resin
(4.17), C (3,97) and the lowest was
content, some chemical analysis was
observed from E treatment (3,95)
conducted to determine resin content
through acetone extraction.
Table 1. Treatment Effects Agarwood Color
Replication
Treatments
I II III
A Blackish Brown Blackish Brown Blackish Brown
B Brown Brownish Black Brownish Black
C Blackish Brown Blackish Brown Brown
D Brownish Black Brownish Black Brownish Black
E Brownish Black Brown Brownish Black
F Brownish Black Black Black
G Black Black Blackish Brown

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 AGARWOOD PRODUCING FUNGAL INOCULANT FORMULATION IN KETIMUNAN TREE (Gyrinops versteegii DOMKE) | I Made
Mega, Dewa Ketut Suanda, Desak Nyoman Kasniari, and I Gede Ketut Susrama

Table 2. Treatment Effects on Agar Wood Fragrance Level

Treatments Values Fragrance level

A 4,37 a Very Strong
B 4,17 a Very Strong
C 3,97 a Strong
D 4,53 a Very Strong
E 3,95 a Strong
F 4,73 a Very Strong
G 4,67 a Very Strong
Note : Values followed by the same letters are not significantly different
based on Duncan’s Multiple Range Test at p= 5%

Table 3. Treatment Effect on Resin Content (%)

Treatment Resin Content (%)

A 9.70 abc
B 10.39 abc
C 8.17 a
D 11.63 abc
E 8.46 ab
F 13.59 c
G 12.86 abc
Note : Values followed by the same letters are not significantly different
based on Duncan’s Multiple Range Test at p= 5%

Resin Content Analysis this study were obtained from brown,

blackish brown, brownish black and black.
The statistically analysis of the resin The color of agar wood closely related to its
contents (Table 3) indicated that treatments fragrance and its resin content. According to
were affected significantly to resin contents. Indonesian National Standardization Agency
The resin content G (12.85%) was not (BSN, 1999), brownish black agar wood
significantly different with treatments D color is classified into class I (first class
(11.63%), B (10.39 %), A (9.70%), E quality) and class II (second class quality).
(8.46%), and C (8.17%) , however Black color agar wood classified to U class.
significant to treatment F and treatment C. U class is a super quality.
The quality of agarwood is Inoculant treatment with inoculant
determined by size, color, shape, fiber formulation affected significantly on
condition, weight, resin content and its fragrance level and resin content of
fragrance. In this study, the quality was agarwood. Resin content of agar wood has
examined for duty colors, fragrance and resin very close relationship to fragrance level.
content. Those three components are closely The highest resin content was obtained from
related. Qualitatively, agarwood colors in F treatment (13.58%) and highest fragrance

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level as well, in value 4.73 classified into CONCLUSION

very strong category. Mega et al, (2012) Based on result and discussion of this
mention that inoculant treatment affected research, it is concluded that: F formulation,
agarwood resin content significantly and the mixture of liquid Fusarium solani and
highest percentage was 7.69% obtained from Rhizopus sp inoculant is the best formulation
G treatment. in producing high quality of agarwood
Inoculation time of agarwood compare to other formulations. Through
formulating fungi in Ketimunan plant using F formulation it was obtained
obviously affects resin content. The longer brownish black color of agarwood.
inoculation time the resin content will be 1) This research duration was 22 months
higher. Resin content comparison between
and 16 months for agarwood formation.
result of this research (16 months) and Sixteen months considered rather short
previous one (5 months) (Mega et al, 2012) time for agarwood formation. Further
showed that resin content increase of research should be conducted in longer
treatment A, B, C, D, E, F and G were period in the aim to give more time for
82.33%, 98.28%, 59.57%, 120.68%, 75.86% plant to produce more and better
and 67.23% respectively. agarwood.
Generally the darker agarwood color 2) Inoculation should be done using
means that fungi infection was stronger mixture of liquid Fusariumsolani and
resulted in higher fragrance level liquid Rhizopussp.
(Anonymous, 2008). Based on Indonesian
National Standardized Agency (BSN, 1999;
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Chaidir, 2009), agarwood quality in relation
to fragrance level stated that agarwood We acknowledge our thanks and
quality obtained from treatment A, B, C, D, appreciations to Directorate General of
and E classified into Quality II and agarwood Higher Education Agency c.q. Rector of
obtained from treatment F and G classified Udayana University for funding this
into quality I to U. Brown and blackish research. This research was funded by
brown agarwood classified into quality I and Udayana University research Fund DIPA
II. Black color agar wood is classifiedinto U RM Fiscal year 2012 (Fund Number:
quality. 21.28/UN14/LPPM/2012).
Based on this study, it is obviously
can be seen that F treatment, combination of
two kinds of fungi gave darker agarwood, REFERENCES
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