Wood Rot

destruction of wood by various fungi, chiefly of the family Polyporaceae of the class Basidiomycetes, accompanied by change in its color, structure, and strength. The fungi destroy the wood by acting on it chemically (with enzymes) and mechanically (by the pressure of growing mycelium). Types of wood rot vary in color (white, brown, motley, red, and blue) and site (heartwood, sapwood, mixed, base, trunk, and root). Wood rots may affect felled trees as well as those that are growing, and also structures and buildings, often doing great damage. Control measures consist of ways of tree-farming that prevent the spread of wood rot; keeping stored lumber clean; and special methods of storing lumber, such as impregnating it with antiseptics and other measures that inhibit development of wood-destroying fungi.

an infectious disease characterized by rotting of the inner tissue of the grapevine. The affected tissues turn brown and molder, and the cortex cracks. The disease is caused by fungi of the group Polyporaceae, mainly Stereum hirsutum, St. purpureum, Polyporus versicolor, and Phellinus (Fomes) igniarius. The spores of the pathogen penetrate the plant at pruning sites and through cracks that form from exposure to winter conditions. Termites and phylloxera are considered the probable carriers of wood rot. Control measures include the spraying of vineyards with disinfectant preparations and sterilization of the substratum.