VIEW ARTICLE

Polysaccharide Integrity as Related to the Degradation of Lignin in Wood by White-Rot Fungi. T. Kent Kirk, Forest Products Laboratory, USDA, Forest Service, Madison, Wisconsin 53705; Phytopathology 63:1504-1507. Accepted for publication 4 June 1973. DOI: 10.1094/Phyto-63-1504.

Previous research has shown that much of the lignin in wood can be degraded by certain white-rot fungi without proportional depletion of carbohydrates. Data are presented here which suggest that lignin in wood may be degraded by these white-rot fungi without proportional degradation of the polysaccharides as well. It follows that the polysaccharides in wood probably do not present a significant protective barrier to the degradation of lignin by white-rot fungi.