The hydrodistillated leaf essential oil of Neolitsea parvigemma was analyzed to determine its composition and yield. Sixty-two compounds were identified, the main components being beta-caryophyllene (14.2%), beta-eudesmol (12.9%), alpha-cadinol (10.2%) and tau-cadinol (8.8%). Oxygenated sesquiterpenes (48.9%) and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (48.8%) were the predominant groups of compounds. The a...

Decomposition of wood is an important part of the carbon cycle of nature. Decomposition is caused by fungi, insects, and marine borers that use the wood as food or shelter, or both. Lignin in wood provides a physical barrier to enzymatic decomposition of cellulose and hemicelluloses. This barrier is breached mechanically by insects and marine borers, biochemically by whiteand soft-rot fungi, an...

Extracellular polygalacturonase (PG) production was estimated in vitro, using liquid cultures of three species of brown-rot decay fungi (Postia placenta, Gloeophyllum trabeum and Serpula incrassata), by cup-plate assay, assay of reducing sugars, and decrease in viscosity. Although all three experimental assays demonstrated that PG was induced by pectin in all three fungi, decrease in viscosity ...

Wood decay is an important process in forest ecosystems, which relies on wood chemical properties and the action of a complex community decomposers. While role fungi this recognized, our knowledge concerning colonization decaying by bacteria, their relative distribution as well potential functional roles remain under-investigated. In context, aim was to characterize how bacterial communities ar...

The Atlas cedar, Cedrus atlantica is a resinous species of Pinaceae originated from North Africa and well known for its noble timber. This work was conducted to assess the natural durability of its wood, to study the chemical composition of essential oil extracted from its sawdust wood and to test the bioactivity of this essential oil against four wood decaying fungi: Gloeophyllum trabeum, Olig...

Benchmarking and State of the art for Modified wood With an increased awareness of the fragility of our environment and the need for durability in wood products, new technologies have been developed to increase the service life of wood materials without the use of toxic chemicals. Issues of sustainability, carbon sequestration and performance converge in this search for environmentally friendly...