Monitoring Fungus Infestation Of Common Beech Wood Using Terahertz Radiation

Wood is one of the most widely used materials for construction projects, in the furniture industry, as well as in the field of cultural property of valuable objects. Terahertz (THz) radiation has great potential for non-contact and non-destructive analysis of wooden materials. This article reports a study of the degree of growth of Trametes versicolor in wood samples, using THz radiation. The analysis compares the THz results to microscopic examinations of the samples, common beech incubated with T. versicolor, at different growth times. The results indicate a strong correlation between the parameters extracted from THz measurements and the progress of the fungal infestation, suggesting that THz imaging may be a valuable tool for non-contact inspection of wood.