Study of new wood preservatives from biological origin and low toxicity against wood decay organisms (fungi and termites)

IRG/WP 06-10600

M T Troya, M J Prieto, F Rubio, D Lorenzo, J J Teixidó

Wood as an organic material is likely to be attacked by living organisms if no protecting treatment is applied to improve its durability. The biological agents, which in Spain, due to its specific climatologic, cause major damage to wood, are the stain fungi, the rot fungi and the subterranean termites. The commercialisation of the products actually used to treat wood against fungi and to treat the buildings against termites, due to their toxicity and their persistence in the environment, could be prohibited in the near future. This ban would be a consequence of the 98/8/EC Directive (usually called Biocide Directive) transposed in the Spanish legislation in October 2002. The purpose of this work is to fill the need for new commercial products investigating for new products, which, due to their low toxicity for man and the environment, would be in compliance with the above quoted Directive. For controlling the stain and rot fungi, the efficacy of natural biocides used in agriculture and of new molecules isolated from fungi as Mycena species with ant fungi properties is being investigated. For controlling the termite population has been studied the effectiveness of bait treated with alive microorganisms (Beauvearia and Bacillus species). The results obtained up the moment, show good efficiency with this kind of products, as well as open a new line of research. In conclusion, the main possible advantage is to reduce the damages due to the action of wood destructive agents without producing detrimental effects on the environment.


Keywords: biocontrol, Mycena, Bacillus, Beauvearia, wood decay fungi, blue stain fungi, termites

Conference: 06-06-18/22 Tromsoe, Norway


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