PERAN PELUKAAN ALAMI DALAM PEMBENTUKAN GUBAL GAHARU: STUDI KASUS PADA Aquilaria malaccensis Lamk. KOLEKSI KEBUN RAYA BOGOR

A plant collection of Aquilaria malaccensis cultivated in the Bogor Botanic Garden was disrupted by a whirlwind blow on June 2, 2006, causing a broken branch. The existed natural wound had been predicted to induce agar production. Therefore, common symptoms of agar formation, i.e. peeled of the bark, chlorosis and fall of the leaf, and changes in the wood coloration were investigated monthly. The possibility of aromatic scent production was evaluated in the end of the study by burning the wood samples. The result showed that the leaves of the wounded plant were becoming yellowish and fell within 5 months, and a pale discoloration occurred in 7 months. However, these visual changes were, in fact, not an indication of aromatic scent production within the wood sample.