Navy blue HER was decolorized and degraded within 24 h by Trichosporon beigelii NCIM-3326 under static condition. In the present study, we investigated various physicochemical parameters such as agitation, temperature, pH, cell concentration, initial dye concentration and different carbon and nitrogen sources to achieve maximum dye degradation by T beigelii. Sequentially, decolorization and decrease in the total organic carbon (TOC) of Navy blue HER by T beigelii were measured. Among five strains T beigelii gave the better performance on the decolorization of Navy blue HER along with a 95% TOC reduction within 24 h. A significant increase in the activities of NADH-DCIP (dichlorophenolindophenol) reductase and azoreductase in the cells obtained after complete decolorization presumably indicates involvement of these enzymes in decolorization process. UV-vis, TLC, HPLC and FTIR analysis of extracted products confirmed the biodegradation of Navy blue HER. Phytotoxicity study demonstrated no toxicity of the biodegraded products with respect to plants viz. Phaseolus mungo and Sorghum vulgare. In addition to Navy blue HER, this strain also shows ability to decolorize various industrial dyes, including Red HE7B, Golden yellow 4BD, Green HE4BD, Orange HE2R, Malachite green, Crystal violet and Methyl violet. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.