Bio Fibres, Fungi & Enzymes for Wood, Pulp & Paper Industries including Cartapip 

China Paper 2005 Farrell et al Final

Albino fungi-Cartapip talk China Paper 2005

Albino fungi are useful for applications to the Pulp, Paper and Wood Industries.  Please contact Roberta via email, r.farrell@waikato.ac.nz for further information about research data and commercial availability of albino fungi, including Cartapip.

Ophiostoma piliferum: 

Scanning election micrographs of hyphae in rays (left) and on surface (right) of loblolly pine

New Zealand and Introduction to Sapstain

New Zealand is well known for producing radiata pine (Pinus radiata) in short rotations, making timber and wood products an integral part of New Zealand’s economy.  As with other fast growing pine species around the globe, radiata pine produces wood that consists primarily of sapwood, and is susceptible to dark discolorations due to sapstaining fungi. 

Sapstain, also called blue stain, though it can be a blue, black, gray, red or brown discolouration, is caused by pioneer colonizing fungi, such as Ophiostoma, Ceratocystis, Leptographium or Sphaeropsis species. 

These fungi are not capable of degrading cellulose or lignin, but metabolise resin extractives, fatty acids, resin acids, and triglycerides, starch and simple carbohydrates, and other components of the sapwood, growing in the ray parenchyma cells, within resin canals, within tracheids and fibre cells and penetrating simple and bordered pits; occasionally forming bore holes through wood cell walls (Blanchette et al 1992; Farrell et al 1992; Farrell et al 1993). 

The dark stain produced by these fungi is due to melanin and melanin-like compounds that are localized within the fungal hyphae (Zimmerman et al, 1993).  As the fungus grows in the wood cells, pigmented hyphae impart a discoloration to the wood.  Sapstain fungi are generally believed not to compromise strength properties of the wood, but cause a decrease in wood quality used for lumber or paper production (Schirp et al 2003a,b).

Causal Organisms of the deleterious condition in New Zealand 

When we began our programme in New Zealand in 1996, based on our earlier experience with inoculating fungi onto wood for pulp and paper applications , we believed critical to biocontrol efficacy was the understanding of causal organisms on the wood which one wants to control, and adjusting the biocontrol agent, its dose, and/or its application appropriately. 

Studies of sapstain organisms in New Zealand were conducted by two groups in the late 1960's through 1980's.  These studies focused on a few selected areas, mainly in the North Island of New Zealand and on material from radiata pine (Hutchison and Reid 1988a,b; Butcher 1968; Butcher and Howard 1968).  Our nationwide survey was conducted to broadly survey and identify sapstaining organisms in New Zealand (Farrell et al 1997; Kay et al 1997).  By 2001, 21 sapstain species were identified using morphological, cultural, with both non-selective and selective media for isolation, mating and molecular studies, so as not to prejudice the types of organisms found (Farrell et al 1998; Harrington et al 2001); 

Note:  our comprehensive analysis of the sapstain fungal survey is now available Thwaites, J.M., Farrell, R.L., Duncan, S.M., Reay, S.D., Blanchette, R.A., Hadar, E., Hadar, Y, Harrington, T.C. 2005. Survey of potential sapstain fungi on Pinus radiata in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Botany, 43(3): 653-663.

The majority of species identified were members of the Ophiostomataceae although the numerically dominant species was Sphaeropsis sapinea (Diplodia pinea); the next most common fungi identified as causing sapstain on radiata in New Zealand were Ophiostoma floccosum and O. ips.   Ophiostomatoid genera include Ophiostoma, Leptographium, Pesotum and Sporothrix.  Whilst there was a degree of seasonal, geographical and site variation in the numerical and species composition within the sapstain population all species were found throughout the country year round.  For biocontrol efficacy the staining organisms to be controlled must be those that dominate the wood.  Though S. sapinea isolates dominate in the forest and freshly harvested wood, they are rapidly outgrown by the Ophiostomataceae, as evidenced by dominance of the Ophiostomataceae at the mill sites, and as isolated from export wood (Farrell et al 1997); the reasons for Ophiostoma species dominance we have found are first, outcompetitiveness by faster growth rates in sapwood than S. sapinea and second, with some Ophiostoma species antibiosis towards S. sapinea.   Lastly, with regard to causal organisms of sapstain, fungi that infect the harvested logs or timber may or may not be effectively controlled with agents that are topically applied, but endophytic organisms, those which exist in the sapwood in the living tree, are not susceptible to agents that can not penetrate into the sapwood. 

We are presently completing a three year study of endophytes of New Zealand radiata pine, as well as those of Monterey pine from the Monterey California peninsula, in order to further identify requirements for anti-sapstain treatments (McNew, Harrington, and Farrell, unpublished).

References

Blanchette, RA, Farrell, RL, Burnes, TA, Wendler, PA, Zimmerman, W, Brush, TS, Snyder, RA.  (1992) Biological Control of Pitch in Pulp and Paper Production by Ophiostoma piliferum.  Tappi Journal 75 (12), 102-106. 

Butcher, J.A. & Howard, M. (1968)  Outside storage of Pinus radiata wood chips in New Zealand.  Tappi 51: 117A-122A.

Butcher, J.A. (1968)  The ecology of fungi infecting untreated sapwood of Pinus radiata.  Canadian Journal of Botany 46: 1577-1589.

Farrell R.L., Blanchette, R.A., Brush, T.S., Gysin, B., Hadar, Y., Perollaz, J.J., Wendler, P.A., and Zimmerman,W., “Cartapip®” A Biopulping Product for Control of Pitch and Resin Acid problems in Pulp Mills” in Biotechnology in the Pulp and Paper Industry, Kyoto, Japan. Editor: M. Kuwahara and M. Shimada, Uni Publishers Co., ltd., Tokyo, Japan 1992, p. 27-32.

Farrell, R.L. and R.A. Blanchette, T.S. Brush, Y. Hadar, S. Iverson, K. Krisa, P.A. Wendler, and W. Zimmerman.  (1993) Cartapip:  A biopulping product for control of pitch and resin acid problems in pulp mills. J. Biotechnol.  30:115-122.

Farrell, R.L., Hadar, E., Hadar, Y, Kay, S.J., Blanchette, R.A. & Harrington, T.C. (1997) Survey of sapstain organisms in NZ and albino anti-sapstain fungi.  Proceedings of the Biology and Prevention of Sapstain Workshop, Conference of the International Research Group of Wood Preservation, Whistler, Canada.

Farrell, R. L., S. Duncan, A. P. Ram, S. J. Kay, E. Hadar, Y. Hadar, R. A. Blanchette, T. C. Harrington, and D. McNew.  (1997) Cause and prevention of sapstain in New Zealand. p. 25-30. In B. Kreber (ed), Strategies for improving protection of logs and lumber.  Forest Research Institute Bulletin No. 204, Rotorua, New Zealand.

Farrell, R.L., Kay, S.J., Hadar, E., Hadar, Y., Blanchette, R.A., & Harrington, T.C. (1998) Sapstain in New Zealand - the causes and a potential anti-sapstain solution, In Biology and prevention of Sapstain (Forest Products Society Publication No 7273).

Harrington, T.C., McNew, D.M., Steimel, J., Hofstra, D., Farrell, R.L. (2001)  Phylogeny and taxonomy of the Ophiostoma piceae complex and the Dutch Elm disease fungi. Mycologia, 93:110-135.

Hutchison, L.J. and Reid, J. (1998a)  Taxonomy of some potential wood-staining fungi: from New Zealand.  1. Ophiostomataceae.  New Zealand Journal of Botany 26: 63-81.

Hutchison, L.J. and Reid, J. (1988b) Taxonomy of some potential wood-staining fungi from New Zealand.  2. Pyremonycetes, Coeleomycotes and Hyphanomycetes.  New Zealand Journal of Botany 26: 83-98.

Kay, S.J. (1997) Biological control of sapstain in New Zealand.  Strategies for improving protection of logs and lumber, Rotorua, New Zealand, 21-22 November 1997 (FRI Bulletin No 204).

Schirp, A., Farrell, R.L., Kreber, B.  Effects of New Zealand Sapstaining Fungi on Structural Integrity of Unseasoned Radiata Pine. (2003). Holz als Rohund Werkstoff, 61, 369-376.

Schirp, A., Farrell, R.L., Kreber, B., Singh, A.P. (2003). Advances in understanding the ability of sapstaining fungi to produce cell-wall degrading enzymes., Wood and Fiber Science, 35, 434–444.

Zimmerman, W.C., R.A. Blanchette, T.A. Burnes and R.L. Farrell.  (1993) Melanin and perithecial development in Ophiostoma piliferum.  Mycologia 87(6), 857-863.

Click here to access the 'Farrell irg presentation' pdf.

Antarctic Research

[Newest Antarctic publication] Event K021 – Evaluation of Deterioration of Antarctic Historic Huts of Heroic Period, & Terrestrial Microbial Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning   Roberta Farrell sampling in annex at Terra Nova hut, Cape Evans, 2004 [right]

General Synopsis of K021 programme:

This programme addresses evaluation of the deterioration of the antarctic historic huts of the Heroic Period, in affiliation with Antarctic Heritage Trust, and the ecosystem functioning of microorganisms isolated in general in the Ross Dependency with greatest emphasis on those from these Sites of Special Scientific Interest of the Ross Dependency which contain the Heroic Period Historic Huts, including from the huts, artefacts and from surrounding natural environments i.e. soil, pond scum, guano.  Event K021 is a cooperation between University of Waikato, led by Prof Roberta Farrell, and Prof Robert Blanchette of University of Minnesota, whose group is part of the USA NSF Polar Biology programme.  Prof Michael Danson of University of Bath has also participated in K021.

This year’s Event focuses on terrestrial fungi and bacteria.  The research is multi-disciplinary, considering both physiologies of the whole microorganisms as well as biochemistry of crucial enzymes with aims to fundamentally understand the underlying mechanisms of cold adaptation, proliferation and life in extreme environments.   Additionally, the Historic Huts and their artefacts provide an unique ecosystem to distinguish between endemic Antarctic fungi responding to introduced substrates to the Antarctic continent versus introduced fungi and bacteria ‘hitchhiking’ on these substrates that have survived and adapted to the cold and dry Antarctic environment.  The hypotheses of this research programme are that microbial speciation was selected for endemic Antarctic fungi with the introduction of wood, hay and the artefacts as a unique food web posing opportunities for microbial evolution, and that only those ‘hitchhiking’ introduced microbes that biochemically adapted to mimic endemic microbes survived and proliferated in the environment. 

K021 Season 2005/2006 Plans January 3 - 24, 2006:

For the Season 2005/2006, Event K021, led by UoW staff/PhD candidate Shona Duncan, conducted field work in Antarctica from January 3 - 24, 2006 joined by UoW PhD candidate Lisa Robson and NSF B0 038 project team led by Prof Robert Blanchette of University of Minnesota and his research technician/postgraduate students Joel Jurgens and Brett Arenz.

Duncan, Blanchette and Jurgens travelled South on January 3rd and were based at Cape Hallett (January 7 -16). They were to go to Cape Adare to study the huts and remnants built at Cape Adare in 1899 by C.E. Borchgrevink (British Antarctic Expedition 1898-1900), and to probe the area for terrestrial microbial biodiversity but because of fog they did not make it there. On January 16 they were joined by Robson and Arenz and continued the study of the historic hut environments and terrestrial microbial biodiversity at Cape Royds, Cape Evans, and Hut Point, and the mapping of Bacillus anthracis DNA present in the stables area of the Cape Evans Hut.

This research addresses the goals of the Antarctic Science and Southern Ocean Strategy, specifically addressing the interaction between climate change, indigenous and introduced species and ecosystem functioning.  Additionally, the findings on deterioration of the Huts and artefacts assists archaeologists, conservationists and architects responsible for the preservation of these important historic landmarks of the Heroic explorers, particularly Scott and Shackleton.

Roberta L Farrell & Group Publications from Antarctic Research

Book Chapters

1. Farrell, R.L., Duncan, S.M., Uniqueness of Antarctica and potential for commercial success, In Antarctic Bioprospecting,  Eds. A. Hemmings and M. Rogan-Finnemore. Published by Gateway Antarctica Special Publication Series, No. 0501, University of Canterbury.  ISBN 0-476-01647-9, pages 10-40.  2005

2.  Held, B.W., Blanchette, R.A., Jurgens, J.A., Duncan, S., Farrell, R.L., Deterioration and conservation issues associated with Antarctica’s historic huts, In Art, Biology and Conservation of Works of Art, Ed. Koestler, R.J., Charola, A.E., Nieto-Fernadez, F.E., Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2003, pages 370-389.

3.      Farrell, R.L., Blanchette, R.A., Auger, M., Duncan, S.M., Held, B.W., Jurgens, J.E., Minasaki, R., Scientific Evaluation of Deterioration in Historic Huts of Ross Island, Antarctica.  In POLAR MONUMENTS AND SITES CULTURAL HERITAGE WORK IN THE ARCTIC AND ANTARCTIC REGIONS.  ISBN: 82-996891-1-2, ICOMOS, Oslo. 2004.

Research papers

1.  Held, B.W., Jurgens, J.A., Arenz, B.E., Duncan, S.M., Farrell, R.L., Blanchette, R.A. (2005).  Environmental factors influencing microbial growth inside the Historic Expedition Huts of Ross Island, Antarctica. International Biodeterioration and Biodegradation, 55: 45-53.

2.  Blanchette, R.A., Held, B.W., Jurgens, J.A., Aislabie, J., Duncan, S.M., and Farrell, R.L. (2004).  Environmental pollutants in Antarctica from the Robert F. Scott and Ernest H. Shackleton expeditions during the ‘Heroic Era’ of exploration. Polar Record, 40: 143-151.

3.  Blanchette, R.A., Held, B.W., Jurgens, J.A., McNew, D.L., Harrington, T.C.,  Duncan, S.M., and Farrell, R.L. (2004).  Wood Destroying Soft Rot Fungi in the Historic Expeditions Huts of Antarctica.  Appl. Environ. Microbiol, 70, 1328-1335.

4.  Farrell, R.L.,  Rhodes, P.L., Aislabie, J.   (2003). Toluene-degrading Antarctic Pseudomonas Strains from Fuel-contaminated Soil. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., Vol 312/1 pp 235-240.

5.  Blanchette, R.A., Held, B.W., Farrell, R.L. Defibration of wood in the expedition huts of Antarctica: an unusual deterioration process occurring in the polar environment. (2002).  Polar Record 38 (207): 313-322.

6.  Minasaki, R., Duncan, S., Farrell, R.L., Blanchette, R.A., Held, B.W., Jurgens, J.A., Watson, N. (2001).  Mycological Biodiversity Associated with Historic Huts & Artefacts of the Heroic Period in Ross Sea Region.  Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research.  VIII SCAR International Biology Symposium.  Antarctic Biology in a Global Context. Handbook. S6P19.

7.  Aislabie, J., Fraser, R., Duncan, S., Farrell, R.L. (2001).  Effects of oil spills on microbial heterotrophs in Antarctic soils.  Polar Biology, 24:308-313.

8. Blanchette, R.A., B.W. Held, R.L. Farrell and S. Duncan. 2000.  Wood deterioration in the historic huts of Antarctica.  Phytopathology 90(6):7.

9. Held, B.W., Blanchette, R.A., Duncan, S.M., Farrell, R.L. (1999). Assessment of deterioration in the historic huts of Antarctica. International Biodeterioration and Biodegradation 44:163.

 Significant other publications

1.  Duncan, S.M., Farrell, R.L., Thwaites, J.M., Held, B.W., Arenz, B., Jurgens, J.J.,  and Blanchette,  R.A. (2005) Biodiversity and Enzymatic Functioning of Terrestrial Fungi Isolated from the Antarctic Specially Protected Areas (ASPA) of the Ross Island containing Heroic Period Historic Huts.  Proceedings SCAR Symposium, Brazil, July 2005.

2.  Held B. W., R.A. Blanchette, R.L. Farrell, S. Duncan "Deterioration and conservation issues associated with Antarctica's historic huts ", Proceedings of the Symposium Art, Biology and Conservation, Metropolitan Museum of Art, June 13-15, New York, (2002).

3.  Farrell, R. L. Evaluation of Deterioration of Historic Huts on Ross Island.  Invited speaker, Refereed Proceedings. Absolutely Positively Microbes.  New Zealand Microbiological Society Conference 2001.  Wellington, 19 November 2001.

4.  Farrell, R.L., Duncan, S.M.,  Blanchette, R.A., Haight, J.E., Held, B.,  Easdale, S., Chaplin, P. (1998).  Condition of Antarctic Historic Huts wood and Artefacts; Cell structure and Degradation Patterns.  Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research VII SCAR International Biology Symposium Antarctic Ecosystems: Model for Wider Ecological Understanding. Abstract Handbook. p 58.

Ganga

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Project Overview: Ganga is a 3 year project of radio features for National Public news magazines about the Ganges river basin in South Asia, funded by NSF and NEH, headed by Julian Hollick and the Independent Broadcasting Association;  Independent Broadcasting Associates is a non-profit media production company which creates programs on India, Europe and Islam for National Public Radio - NPR.  Please see for more information the website http://www.ibaradio.org/India/ganga/ganga.htm

Please click on the following website to read an essay from NPR's Vice President for Legal Affairs, Neal Jackson, who travelled to India with a group of producers gathering material for Ganga. In this essay, he describes the journey to the sacred river's source.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1922398&columnId=1930200

 Roberta Farrell is Chair of the Science Advisory Board. 

 The following description of the project is taken from the original NSF proposal.

The target audience are (1) NPR listeners (2002 total cume 30 million) and (2) high school students via: two year workshops; a pilot AP Environmental Science module; and a two year program using “virtual river” technology piloted by the Museum of Science in Boston.

1. Introduction: The Ganga Basin supports 650 million people in India, Nepal and Bangladesh. It also suffers from extreme pollution and neglect. Ganga offers a paradigm of how to study any river, in terms of pollution, flows, geography, geomorphology, biota, or the political/economic roles rivers play at individual, national and international levels. It also offers an extra cultural dimension - the religious - that few other rivers in the world possess. The Ganga basin is the cradle of Hindu and Buddhist pilgrimage culture. Hindus believe that Ganga came down to earth to purify human souls. At sacred pilgrimage sites

along the river, pilgrims worship her and carry away Ganga water (Ganga jal) for worship and purification. Many Native American communities also hold various lakes, rivers and oceans sacred. For some they represent the origin of the people; for others, the homes of Gods. But Native-Americans are not a major political force: in India, there are over 750 million Hindus. This pervasive religious dimension has a decisive impact on river management and efforts to clean-up the river.

For the devout Hindu, pollution in no way modifies or diminishes the sacred purity of the Ganga: which infuriates environmentalist and politician, and nullifies most efforts to clean and manage the river. Neither scientist nor priest has yet managed to find convincing language, images or values to transcend this divide, to harness each other for the benefit of the river. Can religion and environmental science ever really converge? Or are their values, goals and world views too fundamentally different to allow meaningful convergence? In India, language and culture are all-important, and science's claim to be universal and objective is dismissed by devout Hindus.

The assumption that science is culturally neutral is basic to US culture: but in practice is it necessarily true? Even in cultures, such as the Muslim, Chinese and Japanese, where rivers are not divine, concepts such as Nature, Environment and Pollution may mean rather different things from Western understandings. In the context of a world where sacred and secular are increasingly at odds, failure to understand the power and symbolism of sacred world views can lead to the failure of US policies in many parts of the world, whether in politics, development or science.

The study of the Ganga offers, in practice, the clearest example of how and why scientific values, concepts and language are not culturally neutral. We study this "other" world view and its assumptions because while there is a core of scientific values and methodology common to all cultures, much of what shapes the choices a scientist makes are unique to his or her culture. To avoid misunderstanding, US audiences need to be aware both that culture does indeed 'shape' science, and 'how' it shapes science.