Identification of fungi colonising coated and modified wood exposed outdoors using sequencing and T-RFLP profiling

Wood decay and staining fungi are known to colonize coated and modified wood. Rapid and reliable ways of identifying fungi on coated and modified wood may improve diagnostics and product development. In this work nine fungi growing in painted wood panels exposed outdoors at a test field in Uppsala, Sweden, were identified using sequencing and T-RFLP (Terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism) profiling. Using T-RFLP profiles, four fungi from modified wood were identified. T-RFLP profiling allows for the direct identification of several fungi in a single sample. Results indicate that these two methods may be successfully used to study the fungal deterioration of coated and modified wood