Document Type

Research

Abstract

Only in recent years has there been any extensive investigation of fungi capable of attacking and utilizing cellulose materials. During this period many genera have been shown to be active cellulose destroyers. Chaetomium, which has been studied rather extensively, is a genus with fifty or more species, about one-half of which are known to be relatively high in cellulolytic activity.

One of the most extensive studies in this genus has been that of Greathouse and Ames (3). They tested sixteen species, three of which were new, using various sources of nitrogen. They found that the sixteen species fall into seven groups based upon their ability to utilize the cotton fabric in the presence of different nitrogen sources. Chaetomium globosum caused the greatest deterioration to the fabric of any of the species tested, although C. caprinum, C. cancroideum, C. dolichotrichum and C. funicolum were nearly as active. In general agreement with the above workers, Thom, Humfield and Holman (5) had previously found that Chaetomium globosum was superior to the seven species they tested on fabric. In a much less complete study of this genus White, Darby, Stechert and Sanderson (6) found that Chaetomium indicum and C. funicolum were equally as active as Chaetomium globosum in destroying cellulose. Since a number of strains of Chaetomium globosum were available for study, it seemed of interest to compare their activity with other species, several of which had not been tested previously.

Publication Date

1951

Journal Title

Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science

Volume

Issue

First Page

101

Last Page

106

Copyright

Language

File Format

application/pdf

Recommended Citation

Farrow, Wendall M. (1951) "A study of Chaetomium in cellulose decay," Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science, 58(1), 101-106.
Available at: https://scholarworks.uni.edu/pias/vol58/iss1/10

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A study of Chaetomium in cellulose decay

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