| [College of ACES] | [University of Illinois] | [Illinois CES] |
Application of bleach could have other implications. It
could 1)prevent ingress of vascular diseases, such as
Chonderstereum, until such time as the vessel elements
were blocked by the trees own reactions (tyloses, gums,
resins), 2) prevent colonization by the natural succession
of organisms which often starts with fresh wound parasites
digesting sugars at the wound surface, such as yeasts and
moulds, these fungi may serve to inhibit colonization by
more agressive decay fungi.
We need to remember that most fungi are specialsed,
requiring a narrow band of environmental conditions. Who
knows ? by applying bleach to a wound on oak you could allow
the fungi Laetiporous sulphureus easy access to the
heartwood of the branch, whereas had the branch been
colonized by other more abundant spores at the time of
pruning conditions at the wound surface could have been
hostile to Laetiporous.
The fungi Trichoderma viride has been successfully applied
in a spore suspension against colonization by vascular
pathogens ( Im not sure where I read this, it may have been
done by the Forestry Commission UK)
It has been shown (Boddy 1993) that fungal spores may remain
in a latent form within xylem tissues for many years until
such time as conditions for development are optimum, such
conditions may be created by pruning or other mehanical
wounding which creates an altered moisture or gaseous regime
within those tissues.
I could go on, theres lots of information around its just
a matter of finding it.
Mike Ellison