Abstract
A total of 18 strains of white rot fungi (5 gen, 10 spp.) belonging to Basidiomycota, Polyporales were applied to the wood block decay test, microscopic observation of wood block decay and measurement of ligninolytic enzyme activities. The mean mass loss in the wood block decay test was 0.3－41.7% for F. crenata and 1.4－15.4% for C. sieboldii after exposure to white rot fungi for 60 days. The mean mass loss in the wood block decay test was 2.5－94.0% for F. crenata and 2.1－34.3% for C. sieboldii after exposure to white rot fungi for 120 days. Regarding the microscopic observations of decayed wood blocks from two trees after exposure to white rot fungi for 30, 60, 90 and 120 days, our results suggested that white rot fungal strains do not always exhibit higher decay potential in the wood of preferred host plants, and the wood decay ability of fungal strains is variable even for the same species or genera. Ligninolytic enzyme activity results revealed that fungal strains showed variable Lac and MnP levels and time courses. However, fungal strains of Trametes spp. showed a tendency for remarkably higher cumulative laccase activity compared with strains of the other genera evaluated in this study.
Key words: Basidiomycota, Ligninolytic enzyme activities, Polypores, White rot fungi, Wood block decay tests
