Tebuconazole and propiconazole tolerance and possible degradation by Basidiomycetes: A wood-based bioassay

Pressure treatment with wood preservatives is commonly used to provide the desired service life for wood products used in conditions conducive to decay and termite attack. At the end of service life, preservative-treated wood materials destined for disposal have undergone years of weathering. As a result, the amount of biocide remaining in the wood may be much less than was originally added. Bioremediation of contaminated wood by fungi may occur as part of the natural process of decay, thus preparing treated wood for entrance back into the carbon cycle. We investigated the ability of six white rots, five brown rots, and one mould to degrade low concentrations of carbon-based preservatives that might exist in wood at the end of service life. After 21 days of fungal growth, the concentration of propiconazole or tebuconazole remaining on spruce disks was quantified using LC/MS. Results possibly indicate that Trametes versicolor (L. ex Fr. Quel.) degraded 54% of tebuconazole applied at 0.771 kg m−3 and 75% of propiconazole applied at 1.39 kg m−3. Additionally, Fomitopsis palustris (Berk. et Curt, ATCC 11088) degraded 53% of tebuconazole applied at 0.771 kg m−3, but did not affect the propiconazole applied at 1.39 kg m−3. Overall, these results possibly indicate that low concentrations of triazole impregnated in wood can be degraded by some fungal species.