African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 6 (17), pp. 2000-2003, 5 September 2007   

ISSN 1684–5315 © 2007 Academic Journals        

Full Length Research Paper

Application of extracts from the poisonous plant, Nerium Oleander L., as a wood preservative

Osman Goktas¹, Ramazan Mammadov², M. Emin Duru³, Ertan Ozen¹ and A. Melda Colak⁴

¹Department of Wood Science and Furniture Design, Faculty of Technology, Mugla University, Mugla, 48000, TR Turkey.

²Department of Biology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey.

³Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Mugla University, Mugla TR 48000, Turkey.

⁴Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agricultural, Adnan Menderes University, Aydın, 09100, TR Turkey;

*Corresponding author. E-mail: osmangoktas65@yahoo.com, ogoktas@mu.edu.tr.  Telephone: +9002522111709. Fax: +9002522238511.

Accepted 22 June, 2007

The antifungal properties of poisonous plant extracts from oleanders (Nerium oleander L.) were determined when used as a wood preservative. The extract was prepared from oleanders leaves and flowers in 96% ethyl alcohol. The wood blocks of Turkish oriental beech (Fagus orientalis L.) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) were impregnated with the extracts. The abilities of the extract to suppress attack by Postia placenta (Fr.) (brown rot) and Trametes versicolor (L: Fr.) Quel. (a white-rot) was investigated. Treated blocks were exposed to P. placenta and T. versicolor attacks for 12 weeks by following the soil-block method. While untreated wood specimens have weight loss ranging between 27.37 and 30.66% for P. placenta and 8.64 and 24.06% for T. versicolor, the wood treated with the extracts is of weight loss between 5.54 and 10.98% for P. placenta, and between 5.02 and 28.25% for T. versicolor. The lowest weight loss was found to be for beech wood (5.02%) impregnated with the extract of oleander at a concentration level of 0.25% against T. versicolor. While the highest weight loss was also on the beech wood (28.25%) treated with the same extract at the level of 0.50% concentration against T. versicolor. In conclusion, the extracts could be used as effective wood preservative.

Key words: Poisonous plant extracts, Nerium oleander L, Decay fungi, Postia placenta, Trametes versicolor.