Assessment of selected decay Basidiomycetes for selective biodefibrillation of Picea abies wood

We studied the capacity of selected Basidiomycetes (72 species; 109 strains) to defibrillate Picea abies wood blocks, and determined the remaining cellular cohesion and the lignin content in the wood after treatment. Forty strains were sufficiently aggressive to invade non-sterile wood blocks in laboratory conditions; but only seven of them — Gloeophyllum trabeum, Gloeoporus taxicola, two strains of Phanerochaete velutina, Polyporus badius, Resinicium bicolor and Trametes versicolor produced an significant biodefibrillation. A combination of Gloeophyllum trabeum and Gloeoporus taxicola or Gloeophyllum trabeum and Resinicium bicolor created a synergetic effect and a nearly 70 % loss of the cellular cohesion. The use of selected rot fungi as pre-treatment to save wood pulping energy in several manufacturing processes is discussed.