Fungal decay resistance of Rubber wood treated with heartwood extract of Rosewood
IRG/WP 05-30367
A K Sethy, H C Nagaveni, S Mohan, K T Chandrashekar
Alcoholic extract of Dalbergia latifolia heartwood was studied for its toxicity towards wood decaying fungi. Rubber wood blocks were treated with this extract to three different retention levels (0.1%, 0.2% & 0.5%) and the treated wood blocks were assessed for their resistance towards two white rot and two brown rot fungi. Treated blocks showed improved resistance over the control blocks. At 0.5% retention level, treated rubber wood blocks exposed to fungus showed a weight loss of 15% as compared to 57 % in control blocks. A positive correlation was found between fungal decay resistance and retention level of the extract.