The Protection of Beech Wood (Fagus Sylvatica) against the brown Rot Postia Placenta using Clove (Eugenia Caryophyllata) Essential Oil in a Linseed Oil Medium

Abstract

The present research investigates the antifungal efficiency of clove (Eugenia caryophyllata) essential oil (C-EO) combined with linseed oil (LO) at different concentrations (1%, 5%, 10%) using two types of mycological tests: a qualitative screening test by agar diffusion method and a quantitative mini-block test on treated beech (Fagus sylvatica) wood. The agar diffusion test indicated improved protection of wood should be possible with a mixture of C-EO and LO from a concentration of 5%. In contrast, the mini-block test indicated that wood is partially protected by LO alone and that adding increasing quantities of C-EO gradually reduces this protection. One possible explanation of this unexpected result could be the antioxidant effect of C-EO which could negatively interfere in the oxidative curing process of LO. ESEM investigation revealed the penetration of LO and C-EO/LO mixtures into the wood structure and non-uniform fungal colonization of all the samples exposed to Postia placenta, as well as some characteristic features of consequent wood structure degradation, which was found more advanced for the untreated beechwood samples