Summary
Four flavonoid compounds, ((+)-taxifolin, (+)-aromadendrin, quercetin and (−)-naringenin), from
Japanese larch (Larix leptolepis) wood were heated at 170 ℃C for 60 min at pH=3.46 (hydrothermolysis
treatment). Alphitonin, four taxifolin steric isomers and quercetin were recovered from
the treatment of (+)-taxifolin, and maesopsin, four aromadendrin steric isomers and kaempferol
from (+)-aromadendrin. The reaction products from (−)-naringenin were found to be a mixture
with (+)-naringenin. Quercetin was not changed by the treatment. Possible pathways for the formation
of these products are discussed.
Lyctus brunneus(Stephens) is one of the most destructive and worldwide invasive pests of seasoned woods for wooden products. This and other pestLyctusspecies have had their distribution expanded by international and domestic human transportation of infested wood and wood products. Rapid detection and accurate identification ofLyctusspecies are effective tools for helping to eradicate them in new introduction sites. The accurate species-level identification of adults requires expert knowledge about their morphology. However, it takes much time and effort to recover suitable adult specimens because they are borers inside wood. Frass ofLyctusspecies can easily be detected and recovered in and around infested wood. Thus, frass was tested to see if it was a suitable sample to allow development of a rapid and technically easy molecular detection and identification method forL.brunneus.Species-specific primers were designed from the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I region ofL.brunneusand used in development and testing of methods for successfully identifying them from their frass using the loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) or species-specific nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays. The LAMP assay was faster and more sensitive for detecting the presence of DNA derived fromL.brunneusin their frass than the nested PCR assay. These methodologies will be applicable for the rapid detection and identification of other wood-boring invasive pests in regulatory applications.
A rapid and technically simple molecular detection method was developed for the western drywood termite, Incisitermes minor (Hagen), which is among the most harmful pests of wooden architectures. The method features DNA extraction from fecal pellets and species-specific loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) of DNA. As drywood termites have low moisture requirements, they easily infest artificial wooden products, and are likely to spread by human transportation of infested wood and wooden products. Rapid detection and accurate identification are essential tools for termite eradication at new sites of introduction. Our molecular detection method exploits the detectability and accessibility of fecal pellets and the accuracy and rapidity of the LAMP assay. The methodology permits rapid detection and identification of various drywood termites by designing specific primers for each species, and will be applicable to regulatory applications.
This paper deals with the results of choice feeding tests of two termite species, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki and Reticulitermes speratus (Kolbe), with steam-treated and dry-heated samples of Japanese commercial woods. Some steam-treated species were heavily attacked by C. formosanus and R. speratus while all dry-heated samples were attacked not more than unheated controls except for the combination Japanese larch-R. speratus. The steam treatment in some wood species produced feeding attractants which were removed by hot water extraction. Termite species showed some differences in the susceptibility to these substances. Attraction of the termites to steam-treated Japanese beech was different from that to the steam-treated softwoods. These phenomena were discussed with references to heat treatment of wood as well as to termite attractive factors.
Natural durability of two plantation woods, Chinese fir and I-214 poplar, was investigated thoroughly by three testing methods, namely an accelerated laboratory decay test, a fungus cellar test and a field test. After the decay test using Postia placenta and Trametes versicolor, Chinese fir and the I-214 poplar showed 34% and 69% of mass loss, respectively, indicating they should be classified as slightly durable and non-durable wood. This conclusion was confirmed by the fungus cellar test and the field test. Like the performance in the decay test, I-214 poplar showed no resistance to termites either in the laboratory or in the field, whereas Chinese fir would be classified as moderately resistant.
KEY WORDSplantation Chinese fir, plantation I-214 poplar, natural resistance to decay fungi and termites [Supported by Sino-Japanese Technical Cooperation Project Titled "Studies on Chinese Plantation Wood" (JICA PROJECT/033-1418-E-O)]
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