Field and fungal cellar trials have been set up to assess the biocontrol potential of a selected Trichoderma viride isolate in a situation representative of the end use of treated timber in ground contact situations. These trials are designed to give information about the efficacy of biological control as well as the suitability of existing chemical treatment methods for use with biocontrol fungi. An essential requirement in such trials is to be able to assess the extent of fungal pretreatment of wooden stakes and also to continually monitor the biological control isolate during the exposure period in soil. Suitable molecular-based PCR (polymerase chain reaction) systems may achieve both of these objectives through the development of appropriate primers for the Trichoderma isolate and by measurement of the intensity of DNA bands produced after PCR processing of field samples. This paper presents results from PCR analysis of wood samples removed from sitka spruce treated with Trichoderma spores in a pressure impregnation plant. Various short DNA primers were tested and the most appropriate one selected for quantitative analysis of the Trichoderma-treated wood. The paper discusses the development of the techniques and the implications for the use of such PCR methods as molecular detection systems in the field of wood biocontrol.

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