Fungi, fungal decay

Fungal Decay of Woods. Blocks of sweet gum and southern pine sapwood were inoculated with test fungi by the standard soil-block method (7). The test fungi were the brown rots Poria monticolla and Lentinus lepidius and the white rot Polyporus versicolor. As a control, one block of pine and one block of gum were left in the sterilized soil-block chambers in which the fungus had been started on feeder blocks and then sterilized. 

A few brown-rot fungi, notably Serpula incrassata (Berk, and Curt.) Dank, and Merulius lacrymans (Wulf.) Fr. have the unusual ability to conduct liquid water from moist soil or other sources of moisture into dry wood (36). Similarly, subterranean termites can attack very dry wood and, if they have access to water, can transport it through the tubes they construct between moist soil and wood. But chemical soil treatments around wood buildings can prevent attack by even these organisms. Construction practices that thwart both fungal decay and insect attack have been described (36, 38). 

Fungal Decay of Woods. Blocks of NaOH-treated and untreated sugar maple were inoculated with three test fungi—a brown, a white, and a soft rot—by the standard soil-block method (8). At various intervals, the test blocks were removed, the fungal growth washed off, the block sterilized, and ovendried to obtain weight losses. 

Soft rot is a type of decay caused by ascomycetes and Fungi Imperfecti. The term soft rot was proposed by Savory (54) for a form of fungal decay where characteristic chains of cavities with conical ends were produced within wood cell walls. He recommended that the term soft rot should be used for decay caused by cellulose-degrading microfungi to distinguish it from the brown and white rots caused by the wood-destroying basidiomycetes. ... 

Although this manual is concerned with higher plants, some chapters present information relevant to lower plants. In this connection, the position of the fungi has been debated for years. Most taxonomists do not include fungi in the plant kingdom. However, this manual includes some fungal systems since they are involved in wood decay. 

Goodell, B., Jellison, J., Liu, J., Daniel, G., Paszczynski, A., Fekete, F., Krishnamurthy, S., Lu, L., and Xu, G. (1997). Low molecular weight chelators and phenolic compounds isolated from wood decay fungi and their role in the fungal biodegradation of wood. J. Biotechnol. 53,133-162. 

To prevent growth of wood-inhabiting fungi it is customary to treat wood with chemicals which are toxic to fungi. To pro-tect wood in service from deterioration by decay fungi, the chemicals, called wood preservatives, are applied in most cases by pressure treatment because deep penetration into the wood is essential. Wood products intended for use where the decay hazard is low are unlikely to require pressure treatment but in many instances may require superficial fungicidal treatment to prevent fungal discoloration. 

---