Agar Plantation
AGAR PLANTATION
About Us
The importance of agar wood for many uses has long been recognized. Agar wood is also considered the world’s most valuable incense with even higher price for high quality agar wood. Due to its multiuse’s, demand for agar wood products continues to increase significantly and may cause rapid depletion of agar wood trees in the wilds. Natural habitat of agar wood suffers from uncontrolled exploitation, and as the consequences, some important agar wood-producing trees under a serious degradation. People who live surrounding the forests are the ones who are affected directly from the rapid depletion of agar wood because their livelihood depends on the forest.
On the other hand, forests are now receiving more and more attention from international society because profound appreciation on the function of forest has increased over the years. Forests are no longer seen as a place for timber production only, but also for many non-timber forest products. More importantly, forest is seen a lot as environmental service provider nowadays. With today’s international focus on climate change, the forests have become the assets that contribute significantly to the country’s income. It is thus timely to promote sustainable production of agar wood as an important strategy for conserving natural agar wood tree species, thus the forest habitats, and concurrently fulfilling the demand for agar wood products from cultivation.
As a part of the mission of our project for Production and Utilization of Technology for Sustainable Development of agar wood, we Agar woods is going on a fast pace targeting to achieve the goals.
Technology for accelerating agar wood production is intensively studied and several agar wood cultivation plots have been established in several locations. It is our aim to alleviate poverty of tree grower’s community by providing simple technology for agar wood production as source of income and to stimulate cultivation of agar wood plants as their valuable backbone commodity. The objective of this website is to give thorough information concerned with agar wood, and summarize the findings of the state-of-the-art research on agar wood.
A key message of this website is to stimulate an understanding that the future of agar wood relies solely on sustainable production of agar wood and habitat conservation, and that technology intervention plays a major role in the process.
Agar wood has long been appreciated for its multipurpose uses, range from incense for religious and traditional ceremonies, perfume, medicine and ornamental functions in many countries. The occurrence of this-so-called the wood of the gods has been strongly surrounded by myths and history. Agar wood use is mentioned in the Old Testament as ‘aloe’ or ‘ahaloth’ in Isalm 45:8. Agar wood is the only tree in the Eastern myth that has been descended to Man from Eden garden (Duke, 2008). In Egypt and Japan, Agar wood was used to embalm dead bodies. In India and Cambodia, it is used for traditional and religious ceremony.
The resin compound of agar wood is highly commercial. Resin impregnated in the heartwood a number of agar wood-producing species is due to fungal infection. Two mostly known genera are Aquilaria and Gyrinops that are native to Southeast Asia with India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and Papua New Guinea being the main producing countries, and Singapore being the central trade country (Persoon, 2007).
Agar wood is used to make Great and Beautiful Agar wood Carvings/Sculptures.
Agar wood Beads made from grown-up trees is another area of its usability. In some Religions, they believe that wearing The Agar wood Beads can keep you safe from The Evils Spirits and Bringing Good Luck. The Agar wood is also named “The Wood of Gods”.
The Agar wood Oil is the most expensive essential oil of its kind. It has been known and used as natural, non- alcoholic perfume known as Oud or Dehnul-Oud. Each different area of Agar wood produces a different fragrance of aromatic smell. The Agar wood Oil is distilled from the cheaper quality of Agar wood and the yield is very low between 0.0002 % up to 0.010% depends on the raw materials and the Agar wood itself. That is why the price of The Agar wood Oil is expensive.
Agar wood Incense available in cones, coils or sticks made from Agar wood are using for Aromatherapy & Religious Usages.
Planting
Agar wood suitable for planting in the lowland areas to the mountains at an altitude of 0 – 750 meters above sea level with an average rainfall of less than 2000cm. Appropriate temperature is between 27 ° C to 32 ° C with a rate of 70% sunlight. Suitability of land types soft and sandy clay soil with a pH between 4.0 to 6.0.
In plantation forestry, it is essential to carefully assess the ecological conditions at the planting and to assess whether a potential species will survive and grow. Aquilaria spp. is not demanding regarding soil and climatic conditions, occurring naturally in all ecological zones and on a variety of soils (avoid clay soil). However, many planting have died back after 2, 3 ~4 years of establishment, seemingly due to stagnant water. Planting on sloping lands is therefore recommended.
To reduce the mortality rate, seedlings are ready to transplanting into ground when achieving 60~90cm height. Older seedlings might not be good due to root coiling in the confined polybag if polybag is not big enough. Don’t buy seedlings …
with small polybag older seedling 120cm and above
There are various ways to plant Gaharu seedlings, i have recommended below-guided method if time and labor are not your concern. Happy planting…
1. Planting hole preparation 40cm x 40cm x40cm. Leave for 2 ~ 3 weeks, with rain and sunshine repeatedly, the soil is oxygenated, very helpful for root growth.
2. Add 150~175ml CIRP. If the soil is hard, add 10~15% coco peat to loosen the soil mixture. Coco peat can absorb large volumes of water. Generally Coco peat can absorb water about half of its volume and 5 to 6 times its weight. Coco peat has great oxygenation properties. Other source of phosphorus can be obtained from TSP and DAP, but to be used with caution due to its causticity, having solution pH 1~3 and 7.5~8 respectively. Over dosage may damage the seedling. Advantage of TSP and DAP are both highly soluble and thus dissolves quickly in soil to release plant-available phosphate.
3. Add 15% cow dung as organic fertilizer, and 20grams of Funadan to minimise insect attack
4. Mixing the mixture to small particle possible.
5. Refill the planting hole to appropriate level. Cover the seedling not more than 2” above planting surface. Deep planting will rot the stem in long run.
6. Remove polybag and place seedling into the planting hole.
7. Cover the seedling and chamfer the cimcumference to improve water catchment.
8. Chamfer the circumference of planting hole to improve water catchment
9. Done. This method very tedious, time consuming, i would say the surviving rate is 99%.
Production
It has long been known that the production of the fragrant resin is associated with wounding and associated fungal invasion, possibly assisted by insects. As a response to the fungal infection, the tree produces a resin high in volatile organic compounds that aids in suppressing or retarding the growth of the fungus. Various fungi are associated with agar wood formation although it is still not completely clear which ones make the plant generate the resin.
Agar wood Tea
Agar wood tea recently becomes a haul in the society in some Asian countries for its benefit on health, but totally unfamiliar to us here, you will be like "Really? Are you serious? Do we really have that type of tea?" Yes, yes and yes, it is a rare and expensive commodity due to its goodness and medicinal benefits to health and for its rareness. Agar wood tea is herbal infusion and made of Aquilaria leaves. The youngest leaves of resinous Agar wood tree are harvested at a certain time in the early morning in order to preserve the freshness and pureness in the flavor.
Agar wood tea is safe to be consumed on a regular basis. It has effects on reducing inflammation, reducing pain, relaxing and improving good and deep sleep. The laxative effect of Agar wood leaves aid digestive system and improve bowel movements. Agar wood also contains anti-oxidative properties that help to prevent the aging process. Sometimes we may find Agar wood in diet teas or weight loss teas and it works as a laxative element, however, the laxative properties in Agar wood leaves have been proven not causing diarrhea. A cup of Agar wood tea every day along with proper diets and exercise routines will keep you on track for losing weights and anti-aging. Its anabolic compound (methoxy flavone) will increase your metabolic rate, perfect to consume as a sport's supplement.
Agar wood leaves when brewed in boil water; it will release a tangy and bitter taste and has a strong astringency. Like some of other herbal infusions, Agar wood tea contains zero caffeine, zero simple sugar or other addictive properties. You can simply enjoy a cup of hot tea before bedtime and know that it is good for your body. According to standard consumption, 160 ml boiled water is enough for 1 gram tea leaves but you may find the taste too strong, more water can be added to adjust the bitterness and that should be the amount or daily consumption. Some of our tea drinkers prefer to consume little by little throughout the day, 5-6 tea leaves in a cup of 250 ml water at one time and you can drink up to 3 cups a day.
Agar wood tea can be enjoyed hot or cold as you preferred. It needs to be brewed in really, really hot water to release all of its flavour and goodness. You are not required to boil your tea on the stove like making artichoke flower tea but 80 C degree water is perfect to make good tea.
Agarwood Fungi Inoculation
Traditional knowledge suggests that fungi growing in a wounded aquilaria tree may cause Agarwood formation. Different types of fungi have been suggested including: Phialophora parasitica, Torula sp., Aspergillus sp., Penicillium sp., Fusarium sp., Cladosporium sp., Epicoccum granulatum, Cylimndrocladium, Sphaeropsis sp., Botryodiplodia theobromae, Trichoderma sp., Phomopsis sp., and Cunninghamella echinulata. With all of these fungi suggested as a possible cause and no clear definitive research to show that a fungus is responsible for Agarwood to form, researchers have indicated “that aguru arises from a much more generalized cause than previously envisaged” (Gibson, Bano Biggyan Patrika 6:16-26 (1977)).
Agar wood is derived from the diseased timber of Aquilaria species of the family Thymelaeaceae. Cutting or burning may be one way to inoculate fungi naturally in the wood tissues of vivo tree. The fungus Melanotus flavolivens has successfully been used to induce artificial formation of Agarwood in Aquilaria sinensis in vivo tree.
When the wood tissue of A. Sinensis was inoculated with the fungus M. flavolivens the color of wood tissues was first change from white to brown. (China – ASEAN workshop on Conservation and Biotechnology Application of Tropical Resource, Haikou, China, October 2004)
Aquilaria crassna, A. cumingiana, A. beccariana, A. hirta, A. malaccensis, A. microcarpa and A. rugosa
Neighboring genera of the same family: Aetoxylon, Amyxa, Gonystylus, Gyrinops, Phaleria and perhaps genera Linostoma and Wikstroemia produce a resin after inoculating with the fungi into the phloem and then spread to hardwood species with resin production into the phloem after fungus inoculation
Market & Economics
There are around 80 countries that import agar wood annually but the biggest importers of the commodity are the UAE, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Taiwan. The largest exporters are Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. The value of agar wood exported from Singapore alone has been estimated to exceed $1.2 billion per annum (United Nation’s FAO).
About Us
The importance of agar wood for many uses has long been recognized. Agar wood is also considered the world’s most valuable incense with even higher price for high quality agar wood. Due to its multiuse’s, demand for agar wood products continues to increase significantly and may cause rapid depletion of agar wood trees in the wilds. Natural habitat of agar wood suffers from uncontrolled exploitation, and as the consequences, some important agar wood-producing trees under a serious degradation. People who live surrounding the forests are the ones who are affected directly from the rapid depletion of agar wood because their livelihood depends on the forest.
On the other hand, forests are now receiving more and more attention from international society because profound appreciation on the function of forest has increased over the years. Forests are no longer seen as a place for timber production only, but also for many non-timber forest products. More importantly, forest is seen a lot as environmental service provider nowadays. With today’s international focus on climate change, the forests have become the assets that contribute significantly to the country’s income. It is thus timely to promote sustainable production of agar wood as an important strategy for conserving natural agar wood tree species, thus the forest habitats, and concurrently fulfilling the demand for agar wood products from cultivation.
As a part of the mission of our project for Production and Utilization of Technology for Sustainable Development of agar wood, we Agar woods is going on a fast pace targeting to achieve the goals.
Technology for accelerating agar wood production is intensively studied and several agar wood cultivation plots have been established in several locations. It is our aim to alleviate poverty of tree grower’s community by providing simple technology for agar wood production as source of income and to stimulate cultivation of agar wood plants as their valuable backbone commodity. The objective of this website is to give thorough information concerned with agar wood, and summarize the findings of the state-of-the-art research on agar wood.
A key message of this website is to stimulate an understanding that the future of agar wood relies solely on sustainable production of agar wood and habitat conservation, and that technology intervention plays a major role in the process.
Agar wood has long been appreciated for its multipurpose uses, range from incense for religious and traditional ceremonies, perfume, medicine and ornamental functions in many countries. The occurrence of this-so-called the wood of the gods has been strongly surrounded by myths and history. Agar wood use is mentioned in the Old Testament as ‘aloe’ or ‘ahaloth’ in Isalm 45:8. Agar wood is the only tree in the Eastern myth that has been descended to Man from Eden garden (Duke, 2008). In Egypt and Japan, Agar wood was used to embalm dead bodies. In India and Cambodia, it is used for traditional and religious ceremony.
The resin compound of agar wood is highly commercial. Resin impregnated in the heartwood a number of agar wood-producing species is due to fungal infection. Two mostly known genera are Aquilaria and Gyrinops that are native to Southeast Asia with India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and Papua New Guinea being the main producing countries, and Singapore being the central trade country (Persoon, 2007).
Agar wood is used to make Great and Beautiful Agar wood Carvings/Sculptures.
Agar wood Beads made from grown-up trees is another area of its usability. In some Religions, they believe that wearing The Agar wood Beads can keep you safe from The Evils Spirits and Bringing Good Luck. The Agar wood is also named “The Wood of Gods”.
The Agar wood Oil is the most expensive essential oil of its kind. It has been known and used as natural, non- alcoholic perfume known as Oud or Dehnul-Oud. Each different area of Agar wood produces a different fragrance of aromatic smell. The Agar wood Oil is distilled from the cheaper quality of Agar wood and the yield is very low between 0.0002 % up to 0.010% depends on the raw materials and the Agar wood itself. That is why the price of The Agar wood Oil is expensive.
Agar wood Incense available in cones, coils or sticks made from Agar wood are using for Aromatherapy & Religious Usages.
Planting
Agar wood suitable for planting in the lowland areas to the mountains at an altitude of 0 – 750 meters above sea level with an average rainfall of less than 2000cm. Appropriate temperature is between 27 ° C to 32 ° C with a rate of 70% sunlight. Suitability of land types soft and sandy clay soil with a pH between 4.0 to 6.0.
In plantation forestry, it is essential to carefully assess the ecological conditions at the planting and to assess whether a potential species will survive and grow. Aquilaria spp. is not demanding regarding soil and climatic conditions, occurring naturally in all ecological zones and on a variety of soils (avoid clay soil). However, many planting have died back after 2, 3 ~4 years of establishment, seemingly due to stagnant water. Planting on sloping lands is therefore recommended.
To reduce the mortality rate, seedlings are ready to transplanting into ground when achieving 60~90cm height. Older seedlings might not be good due to root coiling in the confined polybag if polybag is not big enough. Don’t buy seedlings …
with small polybag older seedling 120cm and above
There are various ways to plant Gaharu seedlings, i have recommended below-guided method if time and labor are not your concern. Happy planting…
1. Planting hole preparation 40cm x 40cm x40cm. Leave for 2 ~ 3 weeks, with rain and sunshine repeatedly, the soil is oxygenated, very helpful for root growth.
2. Add 150~175ml CIRP. If the soil is hard, add 10~15% coco peat to loosen the soil mixture. Coco peat can absorb large volumes of water. Generally Coco peat can absorb water about half of its volume and 5 to 6 times its weight. Coco peat has great oxygenation properties. Other source of phosphorus can be obtained from TSP and DAP, but to be used with caution due to its causticity, having solution pH 1~3 and 7.5~8 respectively. Over dosage may damage the seedling. Advantage of TSP and DAP are both highly soluble and thus dissolves quickly in soil to release plant-available phosphate.
3. Add 15% cow dung as organic fertilizer, and 20grams of Funadan to minimise insect attack
4. Mixing the mixture to small particle possible.
5. Refill the planting hole to appropriate level. Cover the seedling not more than 2” above planting surface. Deep planting will rot the stem in long run.
6. Remove polybag and place seedling into the planting hole.
7. Cover the seedling and chamfer the cimcumference to improve water catchment.
8. Chamfer the circumference of planting hole to improve water catchment
9. Done. This method very tedious, time consuming, i would say the surviving rate is 99%.
Production
It has long been known that the production of the fragrant resin is associated with wounding and associated fungal invasion, possibly assisted by insects. As a response to the fungal infection, the tree produces a resin high in volatile organic compounds that aids in suppressing or retarding the growth of the fungus. Various fungi are associated with agar wood formation although it is still not completely clear which ones make the plant generate the resin.
Agar wood Tea
Agar wood tea recently becomes a haul in the society in some Asian countries for its benefit on health, but totally unfamiliar to us here, you will be like "Really? Are you serious? Do we really have that type of tea?" Yes, yes and yes, it is a rare and expensive commodity due to its goodness and medicinal benefits to health and for its rareness. Agar wood tea is herbal infusion and made of Aquilaria leaves. The youngest leaves of resinous Agar wood tree are harvested at a certain time in the early morning in order to preserve the freshness and pureness in the flavor.
Agar wood tea is safe to be consumed on a regular basis. It has effects on reducing inflammation, reducing pain, relaxing and improving good and deep sleep. The laxative effect of Agar wood leaves aid digestive system and improve bowel movements. Agar wood also contains anti-oxidative properties that help to prevent the aging process. Sometimes we may find Agar wood in diet teas or weight loss teas and it works as a laxative element, however, the laxative properties in Agar wood leaves have been proven not causing diarrhea. A cup of Agar wood tea every day along with proper diets and exercise routines will keep you on track for losing weights and anti-aging. Its anabolic compound (methoxy flavone) will increase your metabolic rate, perfect to consume as a sport's supplement.
Agar wood leaves when brewed in boil water; it will release a tangy and bitter taste and has a strong astringency. Like some of other herbal infusions, Agar wood tea contains zero caffeine, zero simple sugar or other addictive properties. You can simply enjoy a cup of hot tea before bedtime and know that it is good for your body. According to standard consumption, 160 ml boiled water is enough for 1 gram tea leaves but you may find the taste too strong, more water can be added to adjust the bitterness and that should be the amount or daily consumption. Some of our tea drinkers prefer to consume little by little throughout the day, 5-6 tea leaves in a cup of 250 ml water at one time and you can drink up to 3 cups a day.
Agar wood tea can be enjoyed hot or cold as you preferred. It needs to be brewed in really, really hot water to release all of its flavour and goodness. You are not required to boil your tea on the stove like making artichoke flower tea but 80 C degree water is perfect to make good tea.
Agarwood Fungi Inoculation
Traditional knowledge suggests that fungi growing in a wounded aquilaria tree may cause Agarwood formation. Different types of fungi have been suggested including: Phialophora parasitica, Torula sp., Aspergillus sp., Penicillium sp., Fusarium sp., Cladosporium sp., Epicoccum granulatum, Cylimndrocladium, Sphaeropsis sp., Botryodiplodia theobromae, Trichoderma sp., Phomopsis sp., and Cunninghamella echinulata. With all of these fungi suggested as a possible cause and no clear definitive research to show that a fungus is responsible for Agarwood to form, researchers have indicated “that aguru arises from a much more generalized cause than previously envisaged” (Gibson, Bano Biggyan Patrika 6:16-26 (1977)).
Agar wood is derived from the diseased timber of Aquilaria species of the family Thymelaeaceae. Cutting or burning may be one way to inoculate fungi naturally in the wood tissues of vivo tree. The fungus Melanotus flavolivens has successfully been used to induce artificial formation of Agarwood in Aquilaria sinensis in vivo tree.
When the wood tissue of A. Sinensis was inoculated with the fungus M. flavolivens the color of wood tissues was first change from white to brown. (China – ASEAN workshop on Conservation and Biotechnology Application of Tropical Resource, Haikou, China, October 2004)
Aquilaria crassna, A. cumingiana, A. beccariana, A. hirta, A. malaccensis, A. microcarpa and A. rugosa
Neighboring genera of the same family: Aetoxylon, Amyxa, Gonystylus, Gyrinops, Phaleria and perhaps genera Linostoma and Wikstroemia produce a resin after inoculating with the fungi into the phloem and then spread to hardwood species with resin production into the phloem after fungus inoculation
Market & Economics
There are around 80 countries that import agar wood annually but the biggest importers of the commodity are the UAE, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Taiwan. The largest exporters are Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. The value of agar wood exported from Singapore alone has been estimated to exceed $1.2 billion per annum (United Nation’s FAO).