A closed-tube bioassay with Poria placenta was used to measure residual fungistatic vapors in wood fumigated with methylisothiocyanate (MIT). This bioassay showed an inverse linear relationship between fungal growth and the amount of MIT in the wood samples. For fumigated increment-core sections of unseasoned Douglas-fir heartwood (4.8 mm in diameter...
The ability of selected plant extracts from wood and foliage to inhibit mold regrowth on fungal colonized wood was evaluated on Douglas-fir sapwood. Most foliage extracts produced some inhibition of Graphium or Trichoderma species, but isolations of other fungi increased following treatment. Five out of eight wood extracts produced 50%...
The potential effects of plant derived oils on survival of dampwood termite (Zootermopsis augusticollis) workers was explored on western white pine sapwood blocks. All of the oils rapidly affected protozoa in the hindgut of termite workers and protozoa loss was closely followed by worker mortality. The effects were most rapid...
Bacillus subtilis and essential oils have been explored separately for their ability to limit colonization by wood stain and mold fungi, but neither approach has been completely effective. One alternative strategy would be to combine the bacterial biocontrol with one or more natural products extracts. In this report, the ability...
The ability of natural and synthetic hinokitiol, as well as a water soluble derivative (hinokitiol sodium salt), to protect wood against fungal attack was examined. Synthetic and natural hinokitiol provided similar protection. All three materials exhibited similar antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger and Penicillium citrinum on yellow poplar wafers at...
Hyphal fragments and protoplasts of two wood-degrading fungi, Postia placenta and Trametes versicolor, were used to examine the effects of two fungicides, copper sulfate and azaconazole, on fungal health (as measured by oxygen consumption, glucose utilization, potassium levels, cell regeneration, and copper uptake). Although both cell systems responded to the...
Impact bending and breaking radius were used to measure loss in toughness caused by basidiomycetes isolated from wood. Small test pieces were used to accelerate testing. Wide differences were found among, and sometimes within, the 26 species tested. Brown-rot fungi tended to cause greater losses than white-rot fungi, but no...
The bioassay with Aspergillus niger is a simple way of determining the presence and amount of pentachlorophenol or tributyltin oxide in wood, but it does not appear useful for measuring strongly fixed chemicals such as chromated copper arsenate, borate, and fluoride. Its effectiveness in detecting other preservatives has not been...
A small block test was used in assessing whether pelletized sodium n-methyldithiocarbamate (NaMDC) would decompose and produce methylisothiocyanate (MITC) and thereby eliminate Antrodia carbonica colonies from Douglas-fir heartwood. Also evaluated were the effects of wood moisture content, dosage, incubation period, pH level, and presence of copper sulfate on percentage of...
The levels of copper, chromium, and arsenic in soil surrounding CCA-treated posts and beneath CCA-treated stakes were investigated at a plot near Gainesville, Florida. Metal levels were elevated in soil immediately adjacent to the treated wood, but decreased with distance away or depth. Mean extractable arsenic levels ranged from 1.74...