Experiments to determine the role of wounding and fungal infestation in the formation of the aromatic base, agar, in the wood of Agar tree
(Aquilaria agallocha Roxb.) were conducted. Inoculation with wounding using three fungal isolates from agar, as well as, wounding without inoculant, produced colour changes and oleoresin deposits, in the host characteristic of agar. It was inferred that the formation of agar did not depend on the activity of a special fungus, as was previously believed, but is a general reaction of the host to injury or invasion.

The possibility of the development of techniques for the commercial induction of agar in A. agallocha is discussed.