Pantnagar Journal of Research

Abstract

Aquilaria malaccensis (Thymelaceae) is a resin-producing tree and is commonly known as Agar or Sasi. In the North Eastern regions of India, the cultivation of Agarwood is extensively practiced, and a huge opportunity exists to promote the cultivation of Agarwood in the other regions of the country. Agarwood is used in various commercial products ranging from perfumery to religious functions. It has demonstrated immense potential in enhancing farm income and generating employment opportunities for the local people. Despite the achievement of good success in Agarwood cultivation, ample opportunity exists to develop agro-technology of cultivation, produce quality planting material, device management operations of plantations, and identification of elicitors for early inducement of agar oil. The price of natural resin is very high but only 1-2 % of the trees produces agar, while almost all artificially induced trees produce agar but their price is low, which is one of the major challenges in the Agarwood industry. Biotechnological techniques, such as, the use of microbes and microbial enzyme systems can contribute in terms of the value addition in agar oil. The artificial regeneration and plantation have been encouraged to promote the conservation of Aquilaria species at large, however; farmers face difficulty from associated abiotic and biotic stressors; those are affecting the overall survival rates of plants. Therefore, practicing scientific cultivation and adopting proper induction techniques in Agarwood can make a huge benefit to farmers, stakeholders, and industries.