Decomposition of cotton by Trichoderma species: influence of temperature, soil type, and nitrogen levels

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Abstract
The effect of temperature on the ability of five species of Trichoderma to decompose cellulose was evaluated in three types of sterilized soils. The loss in tensile stength of cotton strips was used as an index of cellulose decomposition. The influence of levels of nitrogen on cotton degradation was evaluated using silicas and as a substitute for soil. A greater loss in cotton tensile strength was obtained with T. virens and T. viride than with T. hamatum, T. polysporum, or T. koningii. All species responded similarly to nitrogen levels and temperature, with decreased activity at low nitrogen and low temperature. The soil also had a large influence on the rate of decomposition of the strips. The soil from a maple forest gave rise to greater losses in tensile stength than did soil from a white pine or Norway spruce plantation. These results emphasize the importance of the soil chemistry in determining fungal activities in the fields, and the difficulties of extrapolating results of cellulose utilization studies in the laboratory to the field.