Characterization of fungi isolated from cattle dung with potential lignocellulolytic activities

Agricultural wastes not only serve as sources of environmental pollutions, but also serve as magnificent source of plant nutrients and natural repositories of bio-tools especially fungi of industrial interest for lignocellulolytic enzymes production. However, residues management particularly in rice–wheat system is a tedious phenomenon due to narrow gap between harvesting and sowing of these two crops. Hence, microbial intervention is one of the key options that may use successfully for their management. Thus, cellulolytic fungi were isolated from the cattle dung collected from various locations for cellulose manufacturing. The cellulolytic property of fungal isolates was confirmed by plate screening assay based on yellow zone formation surrounding of fungal culture on Congo red agar medium plate owing to production of cellulase enzyme. The colony diameter, clear zone diameter and cellulolytic index showing in descending order of CRD3, CRD5, CRD6 and CRD10 isolates, but –glucosidase activity was greater in CRD3 and CRD5 while, the lowest was in CRD9. However, isolates CRD7, CRD8 and CRD10 exhibited greater biochemical and enzymatic activity than rest of the promising fungal isolates. Similarly, isolates CRD1 and CRD2 utilized most of carbon sources as carbon substrate, but CRD7, CRD8 and CRD10 could not utilized mannitol and cellulose as carbon substrate. Overall, isolate CRD10 showed as a promising isolate in respect of biochemical, carbon utilization pattern and enzymatic activity than rest of the promising isolates.