Influence of Soil Characteristics on Wood Biodeterioration by Brown Rot Fungi

Soil conditions can directly influence the inoculum potential of wood decay fungi, which is likely to be a major factor in the premature failure of utility poles across Europe. The objective of our study was to assess the influence of soil pH, humic acid and iron on wood decay. For this purpose, we incubated Fe-impregnated wood specimens on artificial medium to evaluate the influence of the metal on the activity of brown rot fungi. Moreover, the impact of Cu-leaching from impregnated wood specimens that were exposed to humic acid solutions was measured. In addition, weight losses caused by brown rot fungi in impregnated wood pole segments and stiffness (Young’s modulus of Elasticity) of Cu-impregnated wood specimens were quantified. The pH measurements showed that the soil samples were slightly acid (pH = 6.7 ± 0.7). In comparison to non-impregnated controls, the Fe-impregnated samples significantly increased weight losses by brown rot fungi (>30–40%). In the presence of humic acid the release of copper from chromium-free wood preservatives (up to 143.34 mg L−1) was enhanced. Weight losses in impregnated wood segments by brown rot fungi ranged from 5.3 to 20.4%. The recorded reduction in stiffness by brown rot fungi ranged from approximately 3.96 to 55.52% for Cu-impregnated wood specimens after 12 weeks. Our study shows that the pH, humic acid, iron content and selected wood preservatives greatly influence susceptibility of impregnated wood to brown rot fungi during ground contact.