Assessment of resistance of selected Nigerian wood species treated with rocket fungicide and <i>Mimosa pudica</i> Linn. extracts against fungal infestation

The study investigated the resistance of three wood species—Afzelia africana, Vitex doniana, and Irvingia gabonensis—to fungal infestation after treatment with Rocket fungicide and Mimosa pudica extract. Wood samples measuring 30 mm × 30 mm × 70 mm were collected from a sawmill, dried at 103 ± 2°C for 24 hours, and then soaked in 500 ml of either Mimosa pudica extract or Rocket fungicide for 24 hours. The experiment was conducted as a 3 × 3 factorial design with three replicates per treatment. Moisture content, absorption, retention, and visual assessment tests were performed, and the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and ANOVA to determine significant differences.Results showed that Vitex doniana had the highest moisture content at 55.30%, followed by Afzelia africana at 38.45%, while Irvingia gabonensis had the lowest moisture content of 12.79%. Absorption rates varied significantly among species and treatments, with Irvingia gabonensis exhibiting the highest absorption ranging from 85.71% (treated with Mimosa pudica) to 80.16% (treated with Rocket fungicide). In contrast, Vitex doniana had the lowest absorption rate of 27.17% when treated with Mimosa pudica. Retention rates followed a similar pattern; Irvingia gabonensis showed the highest retention of 79.74 kg/m³ with Mimosa pudica treatment and 73.74 kg/m³ with Rocket fungicide, while Vitex doniana had the lowest retention of 23.46 kg/m³ with Rocket fungicide. ANOVA results confirmed a significant interaction effect between wood species and treatment method on both absorption and retention (p < 0.05). Visual assessments corroborated these findings, revealing better fungal resistance in wood treated with Mimosa pudica compared to Rocket fungicide. The study concludes that Mimosa pudica is a more effective organic preservative than Rocket fungicide for enhancing wood durability against fungal infestation. It is recommended that extension education programs promote the use of organic preservatives to improve wood preservation practices and encourage sustainable use of indigenous wood species.