*PENICILLIUM chrysogenum, *ASPERGILLUS niger, *BIODEGRADATION, *SOIL microbiology, *SCANNING electron microscopes, *WOOD microbiology, *HYPHAE of fungi
Abstract
Abstract: This paper focuses on the biodegradation of wood by two soft-rot fungi, Aspergillus niger and Penicillium chrysogenum, in soil which was artificially infested. The structural changes of pine and sycamore wood were evaluated by scanning electron microscope (SEM). Surprisingly, soft-rot fungi tolerate low moisture to cause extensive decay in the wood samples. The micrographs showed differences in hyphae colonization and wood degradation patterns between soft-rot species under this study; A. niger produced soft-rot decay type I (cavity formation) and soft-rot decay type II (erosion), while P. chrysogenum caused only soft-rot decay type II. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]