Bluestain in Canadian wood products results in significant and unpredictable losses each year. In order to develop rational methods to eliminate or reduce the sapstain problem, a more complete knowledge of the causal organisms must be gained. This includes a knowledge of the variability in tolerance of different fungal species and strains to commercially used chemicals. In British Columbia, the majority of anti-sapstain chemicals are based upon the quaternary ammonium compound DDAC, either as the sole active ingredient or in formulation with co-biocides such as disodium octaborate tetrahydrate (DOT). Ten strains each of the three most prominent blustain fungi found in Canada (Ophiostoma piceae, Ophiostoma piliferum, and Graphium (species C)) were evaluated for their tolerance to DDAC and DOT. The main findings showed there was little or no variation in the tolerance to the chemicals within the strains of each species tested. In the screening tests it was found that DDAC was less effective in inhibiting fungal growth than DOT. However, further examination revealed that the ineffectiveness of DDAC was due to interactions with the media components - a reminder that care must be taken when evaluating results especially with surfactants such as DDAC. Additional work with other sapstain control chemicals is underway.

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