Diversity and Biosynthetic Activities of Agarwood Associated Fungi
Tian-Ye Du,
Cheng-Jiao Dao,
Ausana Mapook,
Steven L. Stephenson,
Abdallah M. Elgorban,
Salim Al-Rejaie,
Nakarin Suwannarach,
Samantha C. Karunarathna,
Saowaluck Tibpromma
Affiliations
Tian-Ye Du
Center for Yunnan Plateau Biological Resources Protection and Utilization, College of Biological Resource and Food Engineering, Qujing Normal University, Qujing 655011, China
Cheng-Jiao Dao
College of Resources and Environment, Yunnan Agricultural University, 452 Fengyuan Road, Kunming 650201, China
Ausana Mapook
Centre of Excellence in Fungal Research, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand
Steven L. Stephenson
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
Abdallah M. Elgorban
Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Salim Al-Rejaie
Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Nakarin Suwannarach
Research Center of Microbial Diversity and Sustainable Utilization, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
Samantha C. Karunarathna
Center for Yunnan Plateau Biological Resources Protection and Utilization, College of Biological Resource and Food Engineering, Qujing Normal University, Qujing 655011, China
Saowaluck Tibpromma
Center for Yunnan Plateau Biological Resources Protection and Utilization, College of Biological Resource and Food Engineering, Qujing Normal University, Qujing 655011, China
Agarwood is a fragrant dark resin produced in plants belonging to the family Thyme-laeaceae and which has a high economic value. The unique fragrance and medicinal applications intensify the value of agarwood. The wild populations of agarwood trees are highly threatened by high economic demand. Therefore, it is worthwhile to develop an artificial agarwood induction technology for the countries that rely on agarwood from the natural habitat of the plants. Fungal induction of agarwood has been shown to be an efficient method. Interestingly, most of the fungi known from agarwood are endophytic. In this paper, we supplement and update the bioactivity of fungi associated with agarwood and their ability to induce agarwood formation. According to the existing literature, 59 endophytic fungal strains of 16 genera induce agarwood production, most of which belong to Fusarium (28 identified strains). Hence, Fusarium is a good candidate for further studies on fungal induced agarwood production.
