Influence of xylem ray integrity and degree of polymerization on bending strength of beech wood decayed by Pleurotus ostreatus and Trametes versicolor

A comparison between decay patterns of the white‐rot fungusPleurotus ostreatusin chestnut–leaved oak (Quercus castaneifolia) shows predominantly simultaneous attack bothin vivoandin vitro

“…However, in periods shorter than 45 days, destruction was found to be considerably less intense. Similar destructive behaviour was previously reported on beech wood decayed by this fungus (Bari, Oladi, et al., ). This might indicate that P. ostreatus undergoes several growth phases: The initial establishment in the wood seems to last for about 1 month, followed by a short phase of rapid destruction for about 2 weeks and a subsequent deceleration post 45 days.…”

“…The relationship between ML and MC of decayed samples in artificially incubated samples was also noticeable. In previous work, this close correlation between ML and MC for wood decay by fungi was also observed (Bari, Oladi, et al., ; Mohebby & Khademi Bami, ). According to current theories, any apparent MC increase can be explained by passive water diffusion from the agar to the wood, active water transport by the fungus from the agar to the sample, and/or fungal water production due to catabolism of polysaccharides (i.e., hemicelluloses and cellulose) resulting from the activities of fungal enzymes (Schmidt, ; Stienen, Schmidt, & Huckfeldt, ).…”

“…Histological evaluations of artificially decayed wood by P. ostreatus showed a less pronounced destruction in oak in comparison with beech wood incubated for the same time (Bari, Schmidt, et al., ). With simultaneous decay, generally only the S2 and S3 layers are decomposed and the middle lamella and S1 remain intact (Bari, Nazarnezhad, et al., ; Bari, Oladi, et al., ; Bari, Taghiyari, et al., ; Kubicek, ; Liese, ; Schmidt, ; Schwarze, ; Schwarze et al., ; Wilcox, ). In some instances, however, gradual reductions in the thickness of the middle lamella thickness have also been reported (Liese, ).…”

“…This phenomenon progresses from the S3 layer towards the compound middle lamella (Schwarze et al., ; Wilcox, , ). In general, fungal colonization takes place by a targeted attack of parenchyma cells, to access the nutritional content in these cells (Bari, Oladi, et al., ; Bari, Schmidt, et al., ; Mohebby, ; Wilcox, , ).…”

“…Despite several studies that analysed the degradation potential of Pleurotus species (Camarero, Galletti, & Martínez, ; Gutiérrez, Bocchini, Galletti, & Martinez, ; Martinez, Camarero, Gutiérrez, Bochini, & Galleti, ; Martínez et al., , ), a selective wood delignification pattern has been predominantly reported to date. More recently, our work (Bari, Schmidt, & Oladi, ; Bari, Nazarnezhad, et al., ; Bari, Oladi, et al., ; Bari, Taghiyari, et al., ; Bari et al., ) has demonstrated that the white‐rot fungus Pleurotus ostreatus causes both selective and simultaneous delignification in beech wood in vitro . However, information about the behaviour of this fungus in vivo is largely lacking.…”