Assessing Fungal Decay of Wood By Small-scale Toughness Tests

Authors

  • Camille M. Sexton
  • Malcolm E. Corden
  • Jeffrey J. Morrell

Keywords:

Wood decay, wood strength, impact bending, breaking radius

Abstract

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 consistent difference was found between monokaryons and dikaryons of the same species.

References

Amburgey, T. L. 1970. Relationship of capacity to cause decay to other physiological traits in isolates of Lenzites trabea. Phytopathology 60:955-960.nAmerican Society For Testing And Materials. 1963. Standard method of accelerated laboratory test of natural decay resistance of woods. ASTM D-2017-63. Philadelphia, PA.nAmerican Society For Testing And Materials. 1977. Standard test methods for specific gravity of wood and wood-base materials. ANSI/ASTM D 2395. Philadelphia, PA.nBravery, A. F., and C. Grant. 1971. Preliminary investigations into the use of a thin strip tensile strength test for the rapid evaluation of wood preservatives against Basidiomycete fungi. Int. Biodeterior. Bull. 7(4):169-173.nDrow, J. T., L. J. Markwardt, and W. G. Younoquist. 1965. Results of impact tests to compare the pendulum impact and toughness test methods. USDA Forest Serv. Forest Prod. Lab. Rep. 2109. 18 pp.nElliot, C. G., A. N. Abou-Heilah, D. L. Leake, and S. A. Hutchinson. 1979. Analysis of wood decaying ability of monokaryons and dikaryons of Serpula lacrymans. Trans. Br. Mycol. Soc. 73(1):127-133.nEslyn, W. E. 1970. Utility pole decay. Part II. Basidio-mycetes associated with decay in poles. Wood Sci. Technol. 4:97-103.nGraham, R. D., and M. E. Corden. 1980. Controlling biological deterioration of wood with volatile chemicals. Final Report EPRI-EL-1480. Electric Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, CA.nHardie, K. 1980. A review of strength testing as a measure of biodeterioration of wood and wood based materials. Int. Biodeterior. Bull. 16(1):1-8.nHartley, C. 1958. Evaluation of wood decay in experimental work. USDA Forest Serv. Forest Prod. Lab. Rep. 2119. 58 pp.nHubert, E. E., and K. W. Krueger. 1962. Decay associated with thinning wounds in young growth western hemlock and Douglas-fir. J. Forestry 60:336-340.nKennedy, R. W. 1958. Strength retention in wood decayed to small weight losses. Forest Prod. J. 8(10):308-314.nMulholland, J. R. 1954. Changes in weight and strength of Sitka spruce associated with decay by a brown-rot fungus, Poria monticola. J. Forest Prod. Res. Soc. 4(6):410-416.nPillow, M. Y. 1950. Mandrel bending tests for aircraft veneer. USDA Forest Serv. Forest Prod. Lab. Rep. R 1788. 13pp.nPrzybylowicz, P. R., B. R. Kropp, M. E. Corden, and R. D. Graham. 1987. Colonization of Douglas-fir poles by decay fungi during air-seasoning. Forest Prod. J. 37(4):17-23.nRichards, D. B. 1954. Physical changes in decaying wood. J. Forestry 52:260-265.nSafo-Sampah, S., and R. D. Graham. 1976. Rapid agarstick breaking-radius test to determine the ability of fungi to degrade wood. Wood Sci. 9(2):65-69.nScheffer, T. C. 1979. Bending tolerance of veneer is related to its toughness. Forest Prod. J. 29(3):53-54.nScheffer, T. C., and C. G. Duncan. 1944. Breaking radius of discolored wood in aircraft veneers. USDA Forest Serv. Forest Prod. Lab. For. Pathol. Spec. Release 22. 10 pp.nSexton, C. M. 1988. The development and use of breaking radius and impact bending tests for measuring wood strength loss caused by Basidiomycetes isolated from air-seasoning Douglas-fir. M.S. thesis, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR. 65 pp.nSexton, C. M., S. M. Smith, J. J. Morrell, B. R. Kropp, M. E. Corden, and R. D. Graham. 1992. Identity and distribution of Basidiomycotina colonizing Douglas-fir poles during three years of air-seasoning. Mycol. Res. 96(5):321-330.nWaterman, A. M., and J. R. Hansbrough. 1957. Microscopical rating of decay in Sitka spruce and its relation to toughness. Forest Prod. J. 7(2):77-84.nWatling, R. 1982. Taxonomic status and ecological identity in the basidiomycetes. Pages 1-32 in J. C. Frankand, J. N. Hedger, and M. J. Swift, eds. Decomposer basidiomycetes: Their biology and ecology. Cambridge Univ. Press., Cambridge, U.K.nWilcox, W. W. 1978. Review of literature on the effects of early stages of decay on wood strength. Wood Fiber 9(4):252-257.nZabel, R. A., F. F. Lombard, and A. M. Kenderes. 1980. Fungi associated with decay in treated Douglas-fir transmission poles in the northeastern United States. Forest Prod. J. 30(4):51-56.n

Downloads

Published

2007-06-22

Issue

Section

Research Contributions