Resin profile of gaharu stands in research plantation sites using the Aggregated Assessment Index (IV)

Richard Joseph Majapun; Chen Thau En; Ian Brandon John; Mohd Jumri Abd. Hamid; Pang Kat Nyen Kelvin.

This study evaluated resin formation in Aquilaria malaccensis Lamk. and Aquilaria beccariana Tiegh. plantations in Sabah, Malaysia. Non-destructive methods based on colour and fragrance assessments using the Aggregated Assessment Index (IV) were applied to examine the effects of inoculation segmentation, location, diameter at breast height (DBH), and stand age on resin profiling. A total of 70 trees, aged 7 to 29 years, were assessed across multiple research plantation sites within the Forest Reserves (FR.), with resin inducement carried out by drilling segmented holes and applying locally sourced inoculum. Results after six months showed that inoculation segmentation had minimal impact on resin formation, with slightly higher resin formation found in the middle section for Aquilaria beccariana compared to Aquilaria malaccensis, though differences were not statistically significant. Resin formation varied by location, with older trees at Segaliud Lokan FR. and Sook FR. producing slightly more resin index than younger trees at Mile 9 and Gum-Gum FR. However, the Kruskal-Wallis H test confirmed that the IV index across locations were not statistically significantly in resin formation. Stand age showed a slightly stronger correlation with resin formation (rs = 0.24, p = 0.043) than DBH (rs = 0.17, p = 0.166), though both were weak predictors. These findings suggest that resin formation is generally associated by multiple factors beyond tree size and age, including environmental conditions, genetics, and management practices. Despite the limitation of the IV method, it provides a useful baseline for resource-limited settings, with the potential for refinement through detailed grading with modern methods at later stages.

KEYWORDS: Aquilaria malaccensis; Aquilaria beccariana; aggregated assessment Index; non-destructive; resin profiling.



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