Serpula lacrymans, The Dry Rot Fungus and Tolerance Towards Copper-Based Wood Preservatives

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingArticle in proceedingsResearch

  • Anne Christine Steenkjær Hastrup
  • Bo Jensen
  • Carol Clausen
  • Frederik Green III

Serpula lacrymans (Wulfen : Fries) Schröter, the dry rot fungus, is considered the most

(Wulfen : Fries) Schröterthe dry rot fungus, is considered the most

economically important wood decay fungus in temperate regions of the world i.e. northern

Europe, Japan and Australia. Previously copper based wood preservatives were the most

commonly used preservatives for pressure treatment of wood for building constructions.

Because of a suspicion about tolerance toward copper components, a soil block test was

undertaken to clarify the effect of two copper based preservatives, copper citrate and ACQ-D,

on the dry rot fungus, Serpula lacrymans compared to an alternative non-copper containing

wood preservative. The extensive use of copper-based wood preservatives has hastened the

need for understanding why some fungi are able to attack copper-treated wood. The copper

tolerance of S. lacrymans and other brown-rot fungi is thought to be due in part to oxalic acid

production and accumulation. Oxalic acid has been implicated in copper tolerance by the

formation of copper oxalate crystals. Twelve isolates of the dry rot fungus, S. lacrymans and

four other brown rot species were evaluated for weight loss on wood treated with 1.2% copper

citrate, 0.5% ACQ-D and 0.5% N'N-naphthaloylhydroxylamine (NHA). Eleven out of 12 S.

lacrymans were shown to be tolerant towards copper citrate. ACQ-D and NHA, on the other

were shown to be tolerant towards copper citrate. ACQ-D and NHA, on the other

hand, were both effective against the dry rot isolates. These wood preservatives are less toxic

toward the environment than traditional copper based preservatives.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationIkke angivet : 36th Annual Meeting
VolumeIRG/WP 05
PublisherU. S. Forest Service. Tree Search; Washington, D.C.
Publication date2005
Pages1-7
Publication statusPublished - 2005
EventInternational Research Group on Wood Preservation - IRG, India
Duration: 24 Apr 200528 Apr 2005
Conference number: 36

Conference

ConferenceInternational Research Group on Wood Preservation
Nummer36
LandIndia
ByIRG
Periode24/04/200528/04/2005

Bibliographical note

Keywords: Serpula lacrymans, dry rot, copper tolerance, copper citrate, ACQ-D, NHA

ID: 2967659