Laboratory and greenhouse studies, using freshly sawn pine boards, demonstrated that the fungicidal properties of prochloraz and carbendazim were complementary for protection from sapstain and mould under extreme conditions of close stacking and high humidity. Analysis of dip bath solutions before and after dipping 20 boards showed no evidence of any stripping of the active ingredients. Neither fungicide is very active against basidiomycetes that cause decay. Normally, such fungi do not present a significant hazard to freshly sawn timber and they are out-competed by sapstain fungi in the absence of chemical control. Where the prochloraz + carbendazim combination prevented colonisation by sapstain fungi, and where the boards were stored under very humid conditions, some growth of brown rot fungi was observed which could be prevented by tank mixing the anti-sapstain product with borax. Field trials in Europe, S. America and S.E. Asia have confirmed the anti-sapstain efficacy of Evotek 230, a suspoemulsion containing 100 g/l prochloraz and 130 g/l carbendazim, at rates as low as 0.5%.

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