EXPERIMENTS ON THE EFFECT OF CENTIMETRE-LENGTH ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES ON WOOD-DESTROYING FUNGI

In an attempt to devise a practical method of killing wood-destroying fungi, mycelia of Coniophora puteana and Merulius lacrymans were exposed to the beamed radiation from a standard Service radar transmitter transmitting pulses of radiation of wave-length 9.1 cm. Growth of Coniophora puteana on malt agar films on glass slides was checked. Many superficial hyphae were killed. Exposures up to I hr. did not kill the mycelium of either fungus when growing on malt agar slopes or plates, or wood blocks. The only obvious effect was a check in growth whenever drying of the mycelium occurred.
It is concluded that the rays have no lethal effect and injure the fungi only through drying of the mycelium due to the increase in temperature which they bring about.