Assessment of 30 White Rot Basidiomycetes for Selective Lignin Degradation

Thirty wood-inhabiting basidiomycetes were screened for their ability to selectively delignify wood, The amount of lignin and carbohydrates removed and the mo hological and ultrastructural characteristics of the decayed wood were the major criteria used to determine fungi with superior lignin-degrading ability. Phellinus pini-2, Pholiota mutabilis, Phlebia brevispora-l and Phanerochaete chrysosporium were the best delignifiers of both birch and pine. Different isolates of the same species of fungi differed in both the type of decay caused and their selectivity for lignin. Almost all fungi tested caused greater weight losses in birch blocks than in pine blocks. Most fungi isolated from gymnosperms caused greater weight losses in pine than did isolates from angiosperms. The fungi studied produced two different types ofselective delignification. The first type resulted in extensive lignin removal from localized areas within wood blocks. The second type resulted in a more uniform loss throughout wood blocks, but less extensive loss from individual cell walls.