Abstract:Background In southern China where the soil is acidic, after the late rice harvest, straw is often disposed by burning, which leads to resource waste and environmental pollution.Objective To achieve the utilization of straw resources, we need to overcome the low-temperature limitations of straw incorporation and promote the rapid degradation of late rice straw under low-temperature and acidic soil conditions.Methods The decayed soil from the bottom of rice straw stacks that had been piled up for several years was used as material. An enrichment medium was used to isolate psychrotrophic acid-tolerant strains with lignin-degrading capabilities. Single-factor experiments and response surface methodology were employed to study the enzyme production characteristics of the strains. The effects of cultivation conditions such as time, pH, temperature, and inoculum size on the degradation performance, biomass, and enzyme activity of psychrotrophic acid-tolerant lignin-degrading strains were clarified.Results The degradation performance, biomass, and enzyme activity of these strains reached the highest levels in the case of the cultivation time of six days, pH 6, cultivation temperature of 15 ℃, and inoculum size of 2%. The response surface methodology was employed to optimize the cultivation conditions.Conclusion The results of this study provide a theoretical basis for promoting the degradation of lignocellulose under low-temperature and acidic conditions and achieving the utilization of straw resources.