Abstract
<title>Abstract</title> <p> Sandalwood ( <italic>Santalum album</italic> L.) is a highly valuable fragrant wood distributed across the tropical regions of India, including dry deciduous forests in Karnataka, and is facing emerging threats from wood-rotting fungi, climate stress, and habitat fragmentation. This study evaluated fungal-induced decay in sandalwood using nrITS sequencing, revealing diverse brown-rot fungi, including <italic>Rhodonia placenta</italic> , and white-rot fungi, including <italic>Trametes strumosa, Schizophyllum commune, Cubamyces flavidus, Fulvifomes ficicola</italic> , and <italic>Ganoderma lucidum</italic> from sawmills, woodlog depots, and forest areas. Infected sandalwood showed a significant mean mass loss of 52.9 ± 3.2% after 120 days at 28°C and 70% relative humidity in in-vitro conditions. Chemical tests showed pronounced reductions in Klasson lignin, acid-insoluble lignin, and cellulose compared to the control sandalwood (28.4 ± 1.8%, 21.7 ± 1.4%, and 41.5 ± 2.6%, respectively), confirming lignocellulose degradation. While XRD showed a decrease in cellulose crystallinity, FTIR examination showed the disintegration of lignin and polysaccharide functional groups. TGA results indicated reduced thermal stability, and microscopic analysis confirmed sandalwood's progressive structural deterioration caused by wood-rotting fungi. </p>