BIOLOGICAL-CONTROL OF THE DRY ROT FUNGUS SERPULA-LACRYMANS BY TRICHODERMA-SPECIES - THE EFFECTS OF COMPLEX AND SYNTHETIC MEDIA ON INTERACTION AND HYPHAL EXTENSION RATES

Using a standard medium (malt extract agar) and a minimal essential me dium designed to mimic the carbon: nitrogen ratio in wood, a number of Trichoderma isolates were screened for their ability to kill Serpula lacrymans. From the results one Trichoderma species, T. harzianum 25, proved to be the most efficient at killing S. lacrymans. In addition, modifications to the nitrogen and iron concentrations of the minimal m edium provided indications that the level of these two elements could prove important in the biological con trol of the day rot fungus in wo od.