Biodegradation of Pentachlorophenol by white rot fungi isolated from forests of Western Ghats of Karnataka India

Pentachlorophenol (PCP) is a major organic compound used in the wood preservation. White rot fungal strains screened from local sources such as wood trunks and twigs of higher plants. Five selected isolates of White Rot Fungi (WRF) Viz: Laetiporus cincinnatus, Trametes versicolor, Fomes fomentarius, Ganoderma aplanutum and Pleurotus ostreatus isolated from Sambrani and Dandeli forests of Western Ghats of Karnataka. The isolates were evaluated for the in-vitro biodegradation of PCP. The presence of extracellular laccase shows that these isolates are capable of degrading variety of xenobiotics including biodegradation of PCP. The maximum laccase activity (0.14 ± 003U) of F. fomentarius, P. ostreatus followed by T. versicolor study has shown significant efficiency on biodegradation of PCP which was quantitatively estimated and analyzed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). The static culture studies have been worked on all the isolates. F. fomentarius (100%) and P. ostreatus (99.40±1.29%) which have degraded the PCP over 30 days of incubation.