Influence of Chaga (Inonotus obliquus) treatment of wood in decay tests

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2019

Department

College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science

Abstract

An aqueous suspension made with ground sterile sclerotium of the fungus Inonotus obliquus, commonly called chaga, was used as a pressure treatment to pine and birch wood blocks. Pine blocks were exposed to three brown rot fungi and birch blocks were exposed to three white rot fungi using a standard soil block decay test. In most cases chaga treatment significantly stimulated decay of wood blocks (measured as percent weight loss) compared to untreated blocks. This was mainly true for white rot fungi, however chaga-treated blocks also significantly inhibited decay by two brown rot fungi. Different metabolic or nutritional needs of decay fungi may explain why the chaga treatment had varying effects. Although many biologically active natural compounds isolated from I. obliquus have been studied, this report marks the first to our knowledge regarding potential antifungal properties in wood decay tests.

Publisher's Statement

© 2019, Current Research in Environmental & Applied Mycology. Publisher’s version of record: https://doi.org/10.5943/cream/9/1/9

Publication Title

Current Research in Environmental and Applied Mycology

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