Abstract
Rice straw is a byproduct formed during rice cultivation. Disposal of rice straw may happen via unhygienic methods such as burning, which is happening in Malaysia and other countries. This study aims to rid rice straw via an eco-friendly biodegradation technique. Biodegradation of rice straw depended on actinobacteria, which were isolated from the cultivated soil of rice and rhizosphere areas in Tabuk region. Out of thirty actinobacterial isolates, only three isolates (S-5, S-12, S-20) biodegraded starch, cellulose, lignin and rice straw powder. The most potent actinobacterial isolate (S-5) was identified as Streptomyces tendae, which effectively biodegraded all polysaccharides of rice straw. Biodegradation of rice straw was associated with a significant reduction in C/N ratio, where the latter fell from 30.4% to 17.2% within 42 d.