The aim of this work was to evaluate glycosyl hydrolases produced by diverse thermophilic fungal strains for saccharification of alkali and biologically (Trametes hirusitalMyrothecium roridum) treated Parthenium hysterophorus and rice straw. The compositional analysis of hydrolysates by HPLC showed distinct profiles of hexose, pentose and oligomeric sugars. Malbranchea cinnamomea was most efficient source of glycosyl hydrolases producing 283.8, 35.9, 129.6, 27,193, 4.66, 7.26 (units/gds) of endoglucanase, cellobiohydrolase, B-glucosidase, xylanase, alpha-alpha rabinofuranosidase and beta xylosidase, respectively. The saccharification of alkali and biologically treated carrot grass by culture extract of M. cinnamomea was further enhanced by supplementation of beta-glucosidase produced by Aspergillus sp. mutant "0". The resultant hydrolysates containing glucose/xylose were fermented efficiently to ethanol by Saccharomyces cereyisiae owing to presence of xylose isomerase (0.8 units/gds) activity in culture extract of M. cinnamomea resulting in production of 16.5 and 15.0 g/l of ethanol from alkali treated rice straw and carrot grass, respectively. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.