Induction of Agarwood formation by Lignocellulolytic bacteria

Agarwood is a hard-textured resin, has a scent of fragrant with blackish-brown color, and accumulated on the wood of the agarwood-producing tree. Gyrinops versteegii (Gilg.) Domke is one of the agarwood-producing trees, endemic in Lombok Island, West Nusa Tenggara. The resins were formed as a plant response to microbial infection. The research aimed to investigate the activity of bacterial isolates able to induce resin-formation. The bacteria were isolated from the stem of G. versteegii using mineral medium containing wood extracts as a carbon source. The selection of bacterial isolates was carried out based on their capability to grow on selective media containing different carbon sources (i.e. CMC, xylan) to determine their enzyme properties. Bacterial isolates were able to grow with high activities and form a zone of degradation that was chosen as potential bacterial isolates to in planta assay. Five bacterial isolates (strain BPSA2a, BPSA2b, BPSB1, BPSB10, and BGG2) have potential as lignocellulolytic bacteria. In planta assay showed that after 30 days of injection, infection occurred with the decay of the surface of the bark, blackish-brown discoloration on the inside, and widen with varying color intensities, fragrant scent occurred after the wood was burned. Inoculated of potential bacterial isolates caused resins production with the number of extract yield of agarwood, respectively, were 6,78 %; 6,67 %; 5,30 %; 4,57 %, and 4,50 %. Dihydroagarofuran and β-agarofuran are the most compounds in these resins