Temperature and time combinations required to cause mortality of a range of fungi colonizing wood

Abstract

The global movement of solid wood packaging material is an important pathway by which invasive organisms have increased their range. The International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures No. 15 (ISPM No. 15) was published by the Secretariat of the International Plant Protection Convention to provide guidelines for wood treatment to reduce the risk of accidental pest movement via solid wood packaging material. This study assessed the exposure temperature and time combinations necessary to kill a range of fungi and one species of Phytophthora colonizing wood. The ISPM No. 15 protocol (heat to 56 °C core temperature for 30 min) was included as one of the treatments in the experiment. The survival data collected in this experiment were utilized to develop a binomial generalized linear model that allowed statistical assessment of survival following treatment. The tolerance of the isolates to heat treatment was variable and it was found that the ISPM No. 15 protocol did not result in mortality of all species that were tested.