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Abstract
Resin acids in the diethyl ether extracts of
Picea glauca,
Pinus ponderosa and
Pinus banksiana seed cones were identified by gas-liquid chromatography of their methyl-ester derivatives. For these seed cones, abietic, dehydroabietic and isopimaric acids comprised 63.7-80.5 % of the total resin acids identified. In
P. banksiana, the resin acid composition of the seed cones was shown to be significantly different from that in either the leaves, bark or wood. Investigation of the role of resin acids in the apparent decay resistance of woody conifer tissues to white-rot fungi involved the incorporation of abietic, dehydroabietic and isopimaric acids individually, or as a 1 : 1 : 1 mixture, into decay susceptible sweetgum (
Liquidambar styraciflua) wood test blocks which were subsequently exposed to cultures of
lrpex lacteus and
Trametes versicolor. Inhibition of decay by
/. lacteus was observed for test blocks treated with abietic and dehydroabietic acids, but not isopimaric acid. With
T. versicolor, only those test blocks treated with abietic acid showed less decay when compared with controls. Comparisons of the decay levels with the moisture contents of resin acid treated test blocks, and the analyses of residual resin acid contents of decayed blocks, indicate that resin acids provide decay resistance by their water repellency and inherent decay resistance rather than general toxicity.
Citation
Eberhardt, T.L.; Han, J.S.; Micales, J.A.; Young, R.A. 1994. Decay resistance in conifer seed cones: role of resin acids as inhibitors of decomposition by white-rot fungi. Holzforschung. 48 (4): 278-284.
