Weight loss indicates degradation of biomass caused by the fungi. When comparing the four fungal species, OL gave the highest loss, which averaged to 27.6%, followed by RV at 13.7% (Figure 2). Although CV was the slowest grower, it recorded a higher weight loss (12.2%) when compared with PC (8.0%). The results for the latter two species were similar to those reported by Halis (2011). OL caused nearly 30% weight loss when inoculated on kenaf biomass making it a desirable wood degrader.
Determination of weight loss gives a general idea on the performance of a fungus. The species with a better performance can be roughly identified from here. Weight loss indicates fungi with good degrading ability, supporting observation via naked eye, which can sometimes be misleading as what observed above between PC and CV. Both visual observation and weight loss determination showed general performance of the fungal species and can be used in selecting potential fungi for further analysis.