The influence of various factors of the mini-block test method on growth and activity of different strains of Coniophora puteana was studied. Decay rates of spruce samples in Petri dishes of different depths, at different wood fibre orientations and at various distances between growth medium and wood were compared. In deep Petri dishes, there were no significant differences between activity of the tested strains. However, in normal Petri dishes, where the growth conditions are less favourable, sufficient weight loss was observed only in certain strains suggesting that decay activity is influenced mainly by the strain of fungus. Additionally, the orientation of wood samples was a very important factor. Wood decay was intensive if hyphae spread into the samples in longitudinal direction. To conclude, fungal strain, Petri dish volume and orientation of wood samples are important considerations for successful miniblock tests using Coniophora puteana.

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