Effect of Secondary Metabolites on the Growth of Brown-Rot () and White-Rot () Fungi.

We investigated the antifungal activities of an endophytic fungus identified as , found on a loblolly ( L.) pine bolt in Louisiana during routine laboratory microbial isolations. The specific objectives were to determine the inhibitory properties of secondary metabolites (crude extract) on the mycelial growth of a brown-rot fungus and a white-rot fungus , and to determine the effective concentration of crude preparation against the two decay fungi . Results show the crude preparation of from liquid culture possesses significant mycelial growth inhibitory properties that are concentration dependent against the brown-rot and white-rot fungi evaluated. An increase in the concentration of secondary metabolites significantly decreased the mycelial growth of both wood decay fungi. was more sensitive to the inhibitory effect of the secondary metabolites than . Identification of specific secondary metabolites, and analysis of their efficacy/specificity warrants further study. Findings from this work may provide the first indication of useful roles for species in a forest environment, and perhaps a future potential in the development of biocontrol-based wood preservation systems.