DECAY RESISTANCE OF THREE BAMBOO SPECIES NATURALLY GROWING IN LOMBOK ISLAND, INDONESIA

To utilize wood resources in Mongolia, amounts of wood chemical components (hot-water extracts, 1% NaOH extracts, ethanol-toluene extracts, holocellulose, -, -, and -cellulose, Klason lignin, and ash) were determined in four common Mongolian softwoods, Pinus sylvestris, Pinus sibirica, Picea obovata, and Larix sibirica. In addition, decay resistance of heartwood was evaluated against a white-rot fungusTrametes versicolor, and a brown-rot fungusFormitopsis palustris. Among the four species, heartwood of Larix sibiricawas chemically characterized by higher amounts of hot-water and 1% NaOH extracts, and lower amounts of holocellulose and Klason lignin. These characteristics may be related to thepresence of arabinogalactan which is easily extracted with cold water. Mean mass loss in each softwood ranged from 6.9% to 28.1% in white-rot fungus, and from 24.8% to 48.3% in brown-rot fungus. Among four species, Pinus sibiricashowed the highest decay resistance against both fungi. By the linear mixed-effects model analysis, negative relationships were found between mass loss and amounts of extracts in heartwood, suggesting that heartwood having larger amounts of extracts showed higher natural decay durability.

Japanese larch (Larix kaempferi) is an important plantation species in Japan as well as in Europe. The inheritance of wood color (L*, a* and b*), mass loss by a white-rot fungus (Trametes versicolor) and a brown-rot fungus (Fomitopsis palustris), and polyphenol content (as the taxifolin equivalent) in heartwood were examined for 75 trees in 15 full-sib families of L. kaempferi. The mean values of all trees were 74.5 in L*, 8.4 in a*, 23.0 in b*, 18.3 and 26.0% in mass loss by T. versicolor and F. palustris, and 0.045 µmol/mg in polyphenol content. The narrow-sense heritability (h 2) showed higher values in heartwood color (h 2 = 0.70–0.87), but mass loss and polyphenol content showed relatively lower values (h 2 = 0.00–0.33). Significant negative correlations were found between polyphenol content and mass loss by white-rot and brown-rot fungi. In addition, the polyphenol content of heartwood was significantly correlated with the color of heartwood. Similar results were obtained in genetic correlations. Thus, it is concluded that parents with lower L* and higher a* and b* in heartwood could produce progenies with higher polyphenol content in heartwood, thereby leading to higher decay resistance.

Understanding the natural durability of wood derived from chemical characteristics is important for forestry species, such as Larix sibirica Ledeb that is a major species in the Siberian boreal forests and is utilized for producing construction materials. Wood-color parameters, chemical properties (hot-water extracts, 1 % NaOH extracts, arabinogalactan contents, and polyphenol contents [as taxifolin equivalent contents]), and decay resistance in the heartwood were examined for L. sibirica collected from five forestry sites in Mongolia. Geographic variations of these properties were also evaluated using a mixed-effects model. Mass loss by Trametes versicolor ranged from 7.4 to 14.8 %, while Fomitopsis palustris caused mass loss from 4.8 to 6.6 %. Mass loss by F. palustris significantly correlated with arabinogalactan contents ( r = 0.688). The L* parameter was significantly negatively correlated with arabinogalactan ( r = −0.477), while the a * parameter showed a significant positive correlation ( r = 0.459). A high variance component ratio of provenance was found in wood-color – L* (13.5 %), a* (19.6 %), and b* (24.2 %) – as well as in 1 % NaOH extracts (32.1 %) and polyphenol contents (29.1 %), suggesting that geographic variations of the properties are existed. Thus, selecting trees with higher L *, lower a *, and lower arabinogalactan contents may improve decay resistance against brown-rot fungus.

Decay and termite resistance of plywood treated with various fire retardants

Senaru specific destination forested area is the only educational forested area which is situated in Lombok Island. It has important roles in providing facilities and information supporting knowledge of bamboo characteristics growing naturally in this area. Many studies about the characteristics of bamboo have been done, but none has been conducted for this area. The information about bamboo distribution was important to understand the potency of bamboo of this area and the information about bamboo physical characteristics were used as raw material data for bamboo crafting, furniture, and simple constructions. The aims of this study were at understanding the bamboo distributions and the physical characteristics of bamboo of this area. Samplings were conducted in two phases which the first phase was collecting bamboo species, number of the bamboo clumps and sticks. The second phase was conducted several tests for the physical characteristics of the bamboo collected from the first stage. The results of this testing were described and compared to the existing bamboo quality standards. 6 (six) bamboo species were identified in this forest: yellow bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris var. striata), Petung bamboo (Dendrocalamus asper (Schult. f.) Backer ex Heyne), ampel bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris Schrad. ex J.C), Santong bamboo (Gigantochloa atter (Hassk.) Kurz), Bilis bamboo (Schizostachyum lima (Blanco) Merr) and Tali bamboo (Gigantolochloa apus Kurz). The number of bamboo clump was 160 clumps and 299 individuals. The physical characteristics of the bamboo were: fresh moisture content ranged between 37,93% – 69,49%, air-dried moisture content between 8,84% - 12,10%, fresh density ranged between 0,32 – 1,03, air-dried density ranged between 0,59 – 1,11 and oven-dried density between 0,55 – 1,04.

Senaru specific destination forested area is the only educational forested area which is situated in Lombok Island. It has important roles in providing facilities and information supporting knowledge of bamboo characteristics growing naturally in this area. Many studies about the characteristics of bamboo have been done, but none has been conducted for this area. The information about bamboo distribution was important to understand the potency of bamboo of this area and the information about bamboo physical characteristics were used as raw material data for bamboo crafting, furniture, and simple constructions. The aims of this study were at understanding the bamboo distributions and the physical characteristics of bamboo of this area. Samplings were conducted in two phases which the first phase was collecting bamboo species, number of the bamboo clumps and sticks. The second phase was conducted several tests for the physical characteristics of the bamboo collected from the first stage. The results of this testing were described and compared to the existing bamboo quality standards. 6 (six) bamboo species were identified in this forest: yellow bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris var. striata), Petung bamboo (Dendrocalamus asper (Schult. f.) Backer ex Heyne), ampel bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris Schrad. ex J.C), Santong bamboo (Gigantochloa atter (Hassk.) Kurz), Bilis bamboo (Schizostachyum lima (Blanco) Merr) and Tali bamboo (Gigantolochloa apus Kurz). The number of bamboo clump was 160 clumps and 299 individuals. The physical characteristics of the bamboo were: fresh moisture content ranged between 37,93% – 69,49%, air-dried moisture content between 8,84% - 12,10%, fresh density ranged between 0,32 – 1,03, air-dried density ranged between 0,59 – 1,11 and oven-dried density between 0,55 – 1,04.

Bamboo is one of the economic plant which grow widely in the villages and have been used by the local people in the villages. Indonesia has about 10% of the world bamboo, 50% among them was endemic to Indonesia. According Widjaja (2001) Lesser Sunda Island which consists of Lombok, Sumbawa, Flores, Timor, Sumba and other small island eastern of Flores has 14 bamboo species, however, the information from the Sumba Island was lacking because of lacking data from this area except one species which was proposed by S. Soenarko in 1977 where the type specimens was collected by Iboet 443 in 1925. To fullfill data from the Sumba Island, an exploration tothis area has been conducted on July 2003. The observation was done in West Sumba and East Sumba District, especially in two natioal parks at both districts. According to this inventory study in the Sumba Island, there were 10 bamboo species in Sumba Island, 1 species among them (Dinochloa sp.) was a new species which has not been collected before, whereas the other species (Dinochloa kostermansiana) has a new addition record from this area. The bamboo species in Sumba Island were Bambusa blumeana, Bambusa vulgaris, Dendocalamus asper, Dinochloa kostermansiana, Dinochloa sp., Gigantochloa atter, Nastus reholtumianus, Phyllostachys aurea, Schisotachyum brachycladum and Schizostachyum lima. From 10 recorded species, the genera Dinochloa and Nastus grow wild in the forest, whereas another species grow widly or cultivated in the garden. Furthermore, the genus Dinochloa was the only genus grow climbing. The endemic species found in Sumba Island was Nastus reholttumianus, whereas Dinochloa kostermansiana was also found in Flores Island.© 2005 Jurusan Biologi FMIPA UNS SurakartaKeywords: biodiversity, bamboo, Sumba Island.

To evaluate the inheritance of natural durability of Acacia mangium Willd., wood-color parameters (Y [lightness], x [red to green], and y [yellow to blue]), mass loss by a white-rot fungus (Trametes versicolor) and brown-rot fungus (Fomitopsis palustris), and three different extracts (methanol extract, total phenol, and total flavanol content) were measured using the inner and outer heartwood of 10-year-old trees from 20 half-sib families in the third-generation A. mangium in Indonesia. The broad-sense heritability (H 2) values were moderate to high for the wood-color parameters and mass loss by white- and brown-rot fungi (H 2 = 0.210–0.851) and low to moderate for three different extracts (H 2 = 0.000–0.576). Significant negative phenotypic correlations were found between the three different extracts and mass loss by T. versicolor and F. palustris. In addition, negative correlations were found between the wood-color parameters and three different extracts. Similar results were found between the total phenol content and y and between the total flavanol content and Y in genetic correlations. Therefore, A. mangium families with lower Y and y in heartwood could produce progenies with higher total phenol and total flavanol content, leading to higher natural decay resistance.

Bamboo plays a vital role in preventing soil erosion and conserving water. In East Nusa Tenggara Province, many communities rely on bamboo species, making its cultivation a priority due to the region’s favorable biophysical conditions and available support from Non-Governmental Orgabization as facilitators. Approximately 387 villages have undergone assessment and socialization processes aimed at developing bamboo villages, including the Reok sub-district. One of the next steps in this process is conducting an inventory of bamboo standing stock in the area.This study aims to assess the species diversity and standing stock of bamboo in Reok sub-district. Research was carried out at 11 randomly selected sampling points across six villages, using the single circular plot method (radius of 17.9 m), with a total of 55 plots. Each plot was surveyed to identify and quantify clumps and culms, categorized by age (young, medium, and old). Four bamboo species were identified: Bambusa spinosa, Bambusa vulgaris, Gigantochloa atter, and Dendrocalamus asper. Gigantochloa atter was the most prevalent species, found at nearly all survey points, and had the highest number of clumps and culms. The estimated standing stock of bamboo in the Reok sub-district is 57,496 clumps, with a total of 3,692,890 culms. Gigantochloa atter accounted for the majority, with 35,526 clumps and 1,815,593 culms. This standing stock holds significant potential for further development, as bamboo is a key non-timber forest product (NTFP) in the region, with the potential to enhance the local economy.

The decay resistance of oil-heat treated aspen wood (Populus tremula l.) against white rot fungi (Coriolus versicolor) and brown rot fungi (Coniophora puteana) was investigated. Three different temperature stages and two time levels for oil heat treatment for the selection of optimum conditions were determined. Linseed oil as a heating medium was used. The mass loss of treated samples that were exposed to both fungi was significantly lower than that of the control samples. Results also showed improvement in dimensional stability after oil heat treatment. Decay resistance and dimensional stability of aspen wood were increased significantly with temperature increasing, but time seemed to have no effect on those properties. Oil heat treatment is a suitable method to improve decay resistance of aspen wood as it reduced the mass loss by 71% and 77% against Coriolus versicolor and Coniophora puteana compared with control samples, respectively. On the other hand, oil heat treatment improved the dimensional stability by about 20.5%.

High-temperature vapour-phase acetylation (HTVPA) is a simultaneous acetylation and heat treatment process for wood modification. This study was the first investigation into the impact of HTVPA treatment on the resistance of wood to biological degradation. In the termite resistance test, untreated wood exhibited a mass loss (MLt) of 20.3%, while HTVPA-modified wood showed a reduced MLt of 6.6-3.2%, which decreased with an increase in weight percent gain (WPG), and the termite mortality reached 95-100%. Furthermore, after a 12-week decay resistance test against brown-rot fungi (Laetiporus sulfureus and Fomitopsis pinicola), untreated wood exhibited mass loss (MLd) values of 39.6% and 54.5%, respectively, while HTVPA-modified wood exhibited MLd values of 0.2-0.9% and -0.2-0.3%, respectively, with no significant influence from WPG. Similar results were observed in decay resistance tests against white-rot fungi (Lenzites betulina and Trametes versicolor). The results of this study demonstrated that HTVPA treatment not only effectively enhanced the decay resistance of wood but also offered superior enhancement relative to separate heat treatment or acetylation processes. In addition, all the HTVPA-modified wood specimens prepared in this study met the requirements of the CNS 6717 wood preservative standard, with an MLd of less than 3% for decay-resistant materials.

The anatomical characteristics (fiber length and fiber area) and mechanical properties (modulus of elasticity, modulus of rupture, compressive strength, tensile Young’s modulus, and tensile strength) of Bambusa vulgaris, Bambusa maculata, and Gigantochloa atter, naturally growing at four different sites in Lombok Island, Indonesia, were examined for evaluating geographic and longitudinal variations by mixed-effects modeling to effectively utilize bamboo culm resources for structural materials. We found geographic and longitudinal variations of bamboo culm properties in these three species. Based on the results, we concluded that, for utilization of bamboo culm as a structural material, variation of individual culm rather than site, and longitudinal variations should be considered for Bambusa species and G. atter, respectively.

Wood has no inherent natural resistance against agents of biodegradation. We evaluated the effects of metal bath heat treatment (MBHT) on decay resistance and dimensional stability of Chinese parasol (Firmiana simplex) and Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) wood. A low melting point alloy was used as heating medium in the treatment of the wood samples at 150, 180, and 210 °C for 2, 4, and 8 h. Heat-treated and control samples were exposed to brown rot fungus (Poria placenta) and white rot fungus (Coriolus versicolor) for decay resistance testing and anti-swelling efficiency (ASE). The improved decay resistance with increase temperatures with low mass losses of 7.3 and 7.3% for F. simplex, and 3.9 and 3.6% for C. lanceolata at 210 °C for 8 h against Coriolus versicolor and Poria placenta, respectively. ASE indicated that MBHT contributed to improved dimensional stability of both wood species after treatment. Scanning electron micrograph results indicate that metal bath-treated samples showed strong decay resistance. Therefore, our approach to thermally modify wood should be explored to overcome the energy utilization by using low melting point alloy for the heat treatment of wood.

Teak (Tectona grandis L.f.) is one of the most popular tropical timber species for its natural durability. The sapwood, the outer, middle, and inner heartwood, and the pith of plantation-grown teak in Indonesia and naturally grown teak in Myanmar were tested for decay resistance (a major component of natural durability), applying an accelerated decay test according to JIS Z 2101 (1994), and using a white rot fungus (Trametes versicolor) and a brown rot fungus (Fomitopsis palustris). Wood blocks 20 × 20 × 10 mm in size were cut from discs across the radius of the stem. The percentage mass loss in each block caused by decay was obtained after 12 weeks of incubation with these fungi. Mean mass losses due to T. versicolor were respectively as follows for plantation-grown, naturally-grown (No. 1), and naturally-grown (No. 2) teak: sapwood 21.4%, 7.1%, “no data”; outer heartwood 0.6%, 3.6%, 6.6%; middle heartwood 2.3%, 6.5%, 5.7%; inner heartwood 10.3%, 9.6%, 6.0%; pith 13.0%, 15.3%, 8.2%. Losses due to F. palustris were, respectively: sapwood 7.5%, 3.0%, 7.5%; outer heartwood 0.0%, 2.5%, 2.7%; middle heartwood 0.0%, 2.2%, 2.3%; inner heartwood 4.9%, 2.0%, 3.4%; pith 13.6%, 8.4%, 8.0%. Durability was classified with reference to Osborne (1970), based on the mean percentage weight loss of heartwood caused by fungal decay. Only the outer and middle heartwood were generally durable in both plantation-grown and naturally grown teak specimens. The inner heartwood was moderately durable, but pith durability was low. No clear differences in decay resistance were found between plantation-grown and naturally-grown teak.

This paper evaluated the density and biological resistance of pinewood samples modified with thermo-mechanical densification and thermal post-treatment. The samples were densified with 20 and 40% compression ratios at either 110 or 150 °C. The thermal post-treatment was then applied to the pine samples at 185 and 212 °C for 2 h. These samples were exposed to white-rot (Trametes versicolor) and brown-rot (Coniophora puteana) fungi for twelve weeks and the resulting mass loss was determined. In the densified samples, the effects of the compression ratio on T. versicolor-initiated mass loss and of the compression temperature on C. puteana-initiated mass loss were found to be significant. The mass loss was less in the samples compressed at 150 °C with the 40% ratio, while the highest mass loss was observed in the undensified samples. In the thermally post-treated samples, the resistance to both decay fungi was significantly increased with the increase of the treatment temperature. The mass loss in the thermally post-treated samples at 212 °C after T. versicolor and C. puteana fungi testing was reduced by 73 and 67%, respectively. However, the effect of the densification processes on decay resistance in the thermally post-treated samples was insignificant.