Decay resistance against basidiomycetes fungi of heat-treated pinus roxburghii and mangifera indicawood

Heat treatment of wood is an effective method to improvebiological durability of wood without using non-environmentally-friendly conventional preservatives. thisstudy was performed to investigate the effects of the heat treatment on the resistance of wood against fungalattack. softwood (pinus roxburghii) and hardwood (mangifera indica) species were heat treated at differenttemperatures for different durations. the decay resistance of heat-treated wood specimens was examinedby soil block bioassay method. the specimens were exposed to wood-rotting fungi (oligoporus placentus andtrametes versicolor) for 14 weeks and the weight loss was assessed. this study revealed that the decay resistanceof p. roxburghii and m. indica wood against fungal attack could be improved with heat treatment. © forest research institute malaysia.