Approach to blue stain fungi  on ISPM 15‐certified wood 

packaging in Australia

1Department of Agriculture, 

Fisheries and Forestry 1Blue Stain Fungi –

wood packagingBiosecurity Plant Division

Authors:ChristopherHoward,LeisaPorter,VanessaBrake,JenniferMorrisonandBerndSunderhauf

Presenter:DavidLetham

Blue Stain of WoodCausedbydematiaceous fungithatinfectthesapwoodoftrees.

Stainingusuallyoccursafterfelling.

SeveralmorphologicallysimilarfungalgeneraareassociatedwithBlueStain:

• Ophiostoma,Ceratocystis, Leptographium,&afewothers;

• Allcharacterisedbylong‐neckedperithecia.

2Department of Agriculture, 

Fisheries and Forestry 2Blue Stain Fungi –

wood packagingBiosecurity Plant Division

Blue Stain of WoodBSFareinsectvectored– barkbeetles

3Department of Agriculture, 

Fisheries and Forestry 3Blue Stain Fungi –

wood packagingBiosecurity Plant Division

Indicative size of bark beetle

Blue Stain of WoodActivebluestainfungi– perithecia

4Department of Agriculture, 

Fisheries and Forestry 4Blue Stain Fungi –

wood packagingBiosecurity Plant Division

Wood PackagingAllwoodpackagingforcommoditiesimportedtoAustraliamustbetreatedasoutlinedinISPM15.Mostcommontreatmentsare:

HeatTreatment(56° 30mins);orMethylBromidefumigatation.

Materialhastobebarkfree(withintolerances)

5Department of Agriculture, 

Fisheries and Forestry 5Blue Stain Fungi –

wood packagingBiosecurity Plant Division

Blue Stain of Wood Packaging2004– AustraliaadoptedISPM15standardforwood

packaging

2008‐

BAconsultedbyAQISaboutBSFonwoodpackaging.BAadvisedthatISPM15‐certifiedwoodpackagingwithactiveBlueStainFungi(peritheciaobserved)shouldbeactionedduetopathogenicspecieswithintheBlueStaincomplex

2009–concernswereraisedwithinAQISduetothelarge volumeofactionableitems.

Present– GrainsandForestrywereaskedtoreviewcurrentadviceonactivebluestainfungi.

6Department of Agriculture, 

Fisheries and Forestry 6Blue Stain Fungi –

wood packagingBiosecurity Plant Division

Blue Stain of Wood PackagingIssuesfacingDAFFregardingpolicy:

• WhatBSFspeciesAustraliahas,nativeorestablished,isuncertain

• Morphologicalidentificationtimeconsuming• Molecularmethodsreliantonaccuratedatabases• Withoutimportationofvector,woodpackagingisprobablynotapathway‐ discussedatIFQRG2011• Unknownwhatrolenativebarkbeetlesmayplay

7Department of Agriculture, 

Fisheries and Forestry 7Blue Stain Fungi –

wood packagingBiosecurity Plant Division

Brisbane visitOutcomes:

• WoodpackagingwithBSFisverycommon;

• Highlightedtheinconsistencieswithinspections;

• Noquickwaytoidentifyfungitospecies;

•

PlantPathologiststhatareaskedfordiagnosis‘erronthesideofcaution’

whenperitheciaare

observed.

8Department of Agriculture, 

Fisheries and Forestry 8Blue Stain Fungi –

wood packagingBiosecurity Plant Division

Identification of biosecurity risk  to Australia

9Department of Agriculture, 

Fisheries and Forestry 9Blue Stain Fungi –

wood packagingBiosecurity Plant Division

Researchisrequiredtofullydetermineifthereisariskto Australia.

i.e.WhatspeciesofBSFdoesAustraliahave?WhatspeciesofBSFaredetectedonwoodpackaging?And,isthereapotentialfornativebarkbeetlevectorstotransferthefungifromthewood?

Someofthisresearchhasbegun.

Ophiostoma floccosum

Ophiostoma quercus

Ophiostoma piceae

Ophiostoma piceae

Ophiostoma piceae

Ophiostoma piliferum

Phylogentic analysis (beta tubulin gene) placed most of these isolates with known blue stain fungi species.

23 isolates of blue stain fungi were obtained from wood packaging entering Australiawith active blue stain fungi were obtained during a workshop in 2011.

Australia’s current policy on  blue stain fungi 

Actioningofcertifiedwoodpackaginghasbeenceased.

Asmoreinformationbecomesavailable,DAFFbiosecuritymayreviewtherisktoAustraliaforalltimbertodetermineifatechnicaljustificationforactioningofbluestainfungionwoodpackagingisrequired.

11Department of Agriculture, 

Fisheries and Forestry 11Blue Stain Fungi –

wood packagingBiosecurity Plant Division