2 Citations
Research on reducing the movement of pests on wood products has led
to several options for safer trade including heat treatment of wood to
mitigate pests. In this study, pathogenic organisms commonly regulated in
the trade of forest products were tested to determine the minimum heat
dose (temperature and time) required to cause mortality. The mycelial
stage of tree pathogens, Heterobasidion occidentale, Grosmannia clavigera,
Bretziella fagacearum, Phytophthora cinnamomi, P. lateralis, P. ramorum
and P. xmultiformis, which may be found in wood products, were tested in
vitro using the Humble water bath with parameters simulating the rate of
heat applied to wood in a commercial kiln. The lethal temperature for the
pathogens ranged from 44 to 50°C for a 30-minute treatment duration. A
molecular diagnostic method to confirm pathogen mortality was available
for five of the species heat treated. RNA detection using reverse
transcription real-time PCR was used to validate pathogen mortality
following treatment for: P. ramorum, P. lateralis, P. cinnamomi, P.
xmultiformis and G. clavigera. The heat treatment data set is deposited
here.