low water content and alkaline pH of some of the soils
were factors likely limiting oil biodegraded rates during
summer. Environmental parameters that affect
biodegradation of oil in cold climates have also been
extensively studied by Atlas (1981) in the Arctic where he
found that rates of biodegradation of oil were sensitive to
temperature extremes.
Although several studies have been conducted on
mineralization or degradation of hydrocarbon by
microorganisms (Ojumu et al. 2005) and exotic
mushrooms, very little work has been done on
indigenous white-rot fungi. In view of this, the present
work is aimed at studying the ability of L. subnudus to
mineralize soil contaminated with various concentrations
of crude oil.