SUSCEPTIBILITY OF PAINTED WOOD TO AUREOBASIDIUM-PULLULANS - FUNGAL STAIN AND GROWTH-PATTERNS

Wooden blocks of Norway spruce were coated with different paint formul ations. Water- and solvent-borne model and commercial paints were used . The coated wooden blocks were inoculated with a spore suspension of Aureobasidium pullulans (de Bary) Arnaud and placed in an environment of high humidity for 14 months. Different levels of fungal stain and v ariable growth patterns were observed on the different coated samples. Fungal growth in the form of hyphae was observed on the paints that b ecame heavily stained, and yeast-like cells occurred on the paints tha t became less stained by the fungus. Towards the end of the incubation period commercial paints containing a fungicide became more stained t han the same paint formulations without fungicide.