Biodegradation of Agricultural Plant Residues by Some Fungi Isolated From Yemen

Abstract

Forty eight samples of different plant residues (250g each) are collected from 9 different provinces in Yemen during 2008, which are corn, wheat, barley and cabbage residues. The samples are mycological analyzed on Czapek's agar medium at 28  1  C. There are 29 species and one variety belonging to 12 fungal genera are obtained from the samples, of which Alternaria (3 species), Aspergillus (5 species), Penicillium (6 species), Mucor (2 species) and one variety, Fusarium (5 species) contributed the broadest spectra of fungal species. The ability of 58 fungal isolates representing 29 species and one variety related to 12 genera to produce extracellular plant cell wall degrading enzymes (cellulase, pectin lyase and polygalacturonase) on solid media is tested. Results reviled that most of the tested fungal isolates are able to produce cellulase, whereas a relatively few number of them are able to produce pectinases with variable capabilities. A. fumigatus followed by A. terreus var. aureus, then P. griseofulvum are the active cellulase producers. Whereas P. glabrum is active producer of pectinlyase (PL), while Acremonium strictum and P. chrysogenum appeared to be good polygalacturonase (PG) producers.