Antifungal and larvicidal effects of wood vinegar on wood-destroying fungi and insects

Abstract

Wood vinegar is a natural organic pesticide that is effective against plant diseases and harmful insects and is used in agriculture in particular for the improvement of plant and soil quality. In different application areas, wood vinegar provides effective protection against various harmful bacteria, fungi, and insects. Based on its demonstrated protection as a pesticide and antifungal, this study aimed to use wood vinegar as an impregnation agent in wood materials. For this purpose, using the full-cell process, Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) and Eastern beech (Fagus orientalis) samples were impregnated with concentrations of 1 %, 5 %, 3 % and 6 % oak wood vinegar, obtained via the pyrolysis of sessile oak (Quercus petraea L.) wood at 350 °C. The samples were then subjected to tests for brown-rot (Serpula lacrymans) and white-rot (Trametes versicolor) fungi according to EN 113 (1996) standard, for Hylotrupes bajulus (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) larvae according to EN 47 standard, and for three different mold fungi (Aspergillus niger Tiegh JAG-04-1003, Penicillium brevicompactum Dierckx FS-31, and Trichoderma harzianum Rifai FS-19). According to the results, the wood vinegar was found to exhibit antifungal, antimold, and larvicidal properties and consequently, could be used effectively in wood protection.

Keywords

• Antifungal
• pesticide
• pyroligneous acids
• wood preservation
• wood vinegar