Extracellular xylanase production by the thermophilic fungus Thermomyces lanuginosus 195 in solid state fermentation (SSF) was found to be significantly affected by fermentation temperature, duration, and inoculum volume (p < or = 0.001). Optimization of these parameters corresponded to a 21.7% increase in xylanase yield. Maximum activity (2,335 U/g of wheat bran) was obtained when 10 g of wheat bran was inoculated with 10 ml of liquid culture and cultivated at 45 degrees C for 40 h. The influence of supplemental carbon and nitrogen sources (3% w/v) on xylanase production was also assessed. Wheat bran, supplemented with glucose and cellulose, facilitated 10% and 7% increases in relative activity respectively. Ammonium based salts, nitrates, and a number of organic nitrogen sources served only to reduce xylanase production (p < or = 0.005) significantly. The enhanced xylanase titers achieved in the present study emphasize the need for optimizing growth conditions for maximum enzyme production in SSF.