Experiments to determine the role of wounding and inoculation of fungi in the formation of the aromatic base, agar, in the wood of Agar tree (Aquilaria agallocha Roxb.) were conducted in two Agar plantations at Lawachara near Srimangal. Effects of (i) inoculation and wounding, (ii) open wound with or without oleoresinous deposits, and (iii) time of creation of open wounds on agar formation have been studied. Fungi associated with the early stages of agar formation were isolated and identified.

Formation of agar in the otherwise healthy whitish agar wood can be initiated by the creation of open wounds on the trunk of Agar tree. There is no primary role of any specific fungus in the formation of agar as was previously believed. Following open wounds, microbes existing in the air spora infect the wounded tissues. The response of the host to wounding and invasion by the pioneer micro-organisms result in the agar formation. Time of creation of the open wounds has a special bearing on agar formation. Suggestions for further studies are provided.