Characterisation of Malaysian agarwood species (aquilaria malaccensis, aquilaria hirta, and aquilaria beccariana) based on volatile chemical profile and somatic embryogenesis development

Aquilaria malaccensis, Aquilaria hirta, and Aquilaria beccariana are known as Malaysian agarwood species. They produce unique resinous wood and essential oil used in perfumery, medicinal, cosmetic and religious ceremony. It is difficult to identify the species accurately since there is no standard to represent the chemical compounds of agarwood and essential oil. This study aims to characterise the morphology of A. malaccensis, A. hirta and A. beccariana via scanning electron microscopic analysis, and to identify the volatile chemical compounds of the wood and the essential oil using Gas Chromatography-Flame Ionisation Detector and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry analyses. Then, somatic embryogenesis study was developed by optimising callus induction techniques using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) analysis. A. hirta was identified by the presence of hirsute on the abaxial side of leaves and midrib. The FESEM analysis shows plant vessel pits cannot be seen in the resinous wood images due to resin and microorganisms coverage. Interestingly, A. beccariana has simple vessel pits structure while A. hirta has nonvestured vessel pits with slit-like outer pit apertures. A total of 19 compounds were identified in resinous A. hirta wood consists of 5.97 % sesquiterpenes and 20.32 % sesquiterpenoid. There were 35 compounds found in A. hirta oil contained 0.45 % monoterpenes, 23.51 % sesquiterpenes and 19.53 % sesquiterpenoid. A total of 35 compounds were identified in resinous A. beccariana wood consists of 1.5 % monoterpenes, 15.27 % sesquiterpenes and 50.69 % sesquiterpenoid. There were 32 compounds found in A. beccariana oil contained 36.69 % sesquiterpenes and 49.58 % sesquiterpenoid. The highest frequencies of callus induction were observed on MS medium supplemented with BAP and NAA together with optimized growth parameters. SEM analysis showed embryogenic characteristics in cells of the yellow friable calli evidenced by the presence of small and isodiametric cells. Only SERK gene was successfully amplified and enable to proceed to in silico analysis. This study provides a reference for Malaysia agarwood species identification specifically for A. malaccensis, A. hirta and A. beccariana based on morphology evaluation and volatile chemical compounds profile of the essential oil and chip wood towards standardizing the quality. In addition, the somatic embryogenesis study provides fundamental results for genetic conservation effort of Aquilaria sp. towards more systematic and productive agarwood plantation in Malaysia

Study on Soil Properties Towards Formation of High-Quality Agarwood Resin in Aquilaria Crassna

Agarwood has been used for its fragrance and medicinal properties in Asian culture for centuries. In recent years, agarwood gains its popularity in the west due to its usage in perfume formulation. Unfortunately, the supply does not meet the augmentation market demand. This is mostly because of depleting nature agarwood reservoir and lack of induction technique that can produce agarwood consistently in the plantation. In this study, we look into a case where artificial inducing technique successfully produced high quality agarwood. To assure its quality, agarwood chip was analysed by Gas Chromatography for its chemical profiles. Discovered compounds were identified as sesquiterpene group which also had been characterized as major agarwood compound listed on previous studies. Few compounds that are detected such as δ-cadinene (0.20%), jinkoh-eremol (22.09%), epi-α-cadinol (4.74%), agarospirol (3.75%) and others. Soil condition that contributes into this agarwood formation; soil analysis on physical properties, chemical properties and nutrients content of the soil have been analyzed. Based on the findings, soil condition is an important factor to successfully induced high quality agarwood

Current trend in biotechnology and molecular biology of fig (Ficus carica L.)

In vitro propagation offers some advantages over conventional propagation methods where it can supply uniform plants throughout the year and offer germplasm conservation. Besides, the optimization of in vitro culture conditions can accelerate and ease the research on transgenic plants through genetic engineering technology. Induced mutation breeding is a well-established method for plant improvement and this procedure can raise the possibility by a thousandfold when compared to spontaneous mutation under natural condition. Plant genetic engineering is currently a crucial method to transform genes of interest into a particular plant nuclear genome to get the desired expression. Successful transformation of fig cultivars provides a promising tool for the introduction of desired genes into fig cultivars, improved agronomic characteristic, and a means for the production of desired proteins in the edible parts of fig. Molecular markers are mostly neutral to environmental variations, in which researchers can evaluate their genetic material independently of the environmental conditions as opposed to morphological markers. Molecular markers such as RAPD, RFLP, ISSR and SSR have reportedly been prosperously utilized for the characterization of fig germplasm. Meanwhile, mutation which can occur either spontaneously or via induction plays a notable role in improving the ostiole size, fruit size, quality and productivity of fig. It is believed that fig has become one of the most valuable crops in the world as its fruits contain incredible medicinal properties and is used for the treatment of different ailments in traditional medicines

Characterization of aquilaria malaccensis callus cells using SEM and somatic embryogenesis associated genes identification

Aquilaria malaccensis or gaharu is one of Malaysia's top tropical resources that is being protected and conserved. Somatic embryogenesis is a plant tissue culture method used most extensively in commercial micropropagation systems and conservation purposes. This study aims to optimize callus induction techniques for somatic embryogenesis study using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) analysis. In this study, callus was induced on Murashige and Skoog's (MS) medium supplemented with a combination of plant growth regulators and optimized parameters (explant used, sterilization techniques, media content, pH media, plant growth regulators, incubation condition, and incubation temperature). The cells were subcultured for long-term callus maintenance and subjected to SEM analysis for somatic embryogenesis confirmation. Four set of genes associated to somatic embryogenesis (SERK, BBM, LEC1, and WOX) were studied based on National Centre for Biotechnology Information database and literatures. The data obtained were used for primer design and gene amplification using 3 different tissues (leaf, stem, callus).The highest frequencies of callus induction were observed on Murashikage and Skoog medium supplemented with 6-Benzylaminopurine and 1-Naphthaleneacetic acid together with optimized growth parameters. SEM analysis showed embryogenic characteristics in cells of the yellow compact calli evidenced by the presence of small and isodiametric cells. Only SERK gene was successfully amplified and enable to proceed with in silico analysis. This study provides fundamental results for genetic conservation effort of A. malaccensis related to somatic embryogenesis study

Current status and biotechnological development of etlingera elatior, a promising horticultural and medicinal plant

Etlingera elatior (Jack) which belongs to Zingiberaceae family is one of the most commonly known species of Etlingera. E. elatior has been traditionally used for many different purposes and have a long history of traditional uses in Southeast Asia. Every part of this plant has significant economic value. It can be used as material source in preparing traditional medicines, while the young inflorescences are used as herbs and food ingredients in Southeast Asia. Recently, E. elatior is gaining attention as ornamental plant due to its colourful and attractive inflorescences. On top of that, modern-day horticulture industry is based on creating variation, selection, evaluation, and multiplication of desired genotypes. There is always a demand for the horticulture industry to maintain its competitiveness by producing new cultivars with appeal for cut flower. Furthermore, new cultivars of promising quality can be used for commercial cultivation and as new source of genes for breeding programme. Due to its popularity, E. elatior is also being researched for its pharmacological activities, medicinal properties and potential applications in nanotechnology. This review provides research on E. elatior, including, nutritional composition, phytochemical compounds, bioactivities, plant tissue culture, in vitro mutagenesis, molecular marker, and bioinformatics of this precious horticultural plant