Screening of wood preservatives: comparison of the soil-block, agar-block, and agar-plate tests

Results from the soil-block, agar-block, and agar-plate tests using two white-rot and two brown-rot fungi were compared. Eight commercially available biocides encompassing inorganic and organic systems were tested, with each biocide ranked according to its performance in the three tests. The results indicated that the relative ability to inhibit fungal growth of the different biocides is dependent on the screening test. Biocides can be separated on the basis of their chemistry. Fixed inorganic preservative systems performed better in tests that employ wood as a substrate material. Organic systems performed well in both the agar-plate and tests utilizing wood. The agar-plate technique gave results that were generally reproducible. Each of these tests are methodology specific, as are most biological procedures. We concluded that all three tests should be considered to screen biocides.

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