Three-dimensional imaging and analysis of infested coated wood with X-ray submicron CT

Coated pine sapwood infested with the blue stain fungus Aureobasidium pullulans was visualized in three dimensions using X-ray computed tomography with submicron resolution. Scanning and subsequent reconstruction took less than half an hour and generated an intensity matrix of 483×483×322 voxels. In addition to imaging and localization of the fungus, accessibility of the wood structure, basic anatomical properties of the wood and characteristics of the coating were determined on the 3D data stack using image processing. X-ray biotomography as a non-invasive imaging tool for scientists in general, and mycologists, wood and coating researchers in particular, offers new possibilities for revealing science.