Abstract.- Microbial cellulose degradation is significant in environment rich in plant organic matter. The
present study was carried out to isolate cellulose degrading yeasts from environmental samples. The isolated yeast
characterized through 18S rRNA was found to be Candida tropicalis. C. tropicalis showed optimum growth at 37oC
and pH of 7. The isolated yeast produced both intra-as well as extra-cellular enzyme but the dominant form found was
extra-cellular. C. tropicalis showed maximum enzyme production after 5 days of incubation. The optimum
temperature and pH for cellulase activity was found to be 40oC and 8, respectively. Cellulase activity was inhibited in
the presence of all tested metal ions. C. tropicalis can be exploited for cellulose biotechnologies.