Degradation of isoproturon in vitro by a mix of bacterial strains isolated from arable soil

In this study, four IPU-degrading bacterial strains, i.e., Sphingomonas sp. ISP1, Arthrobacter sp. ISP2, Acinetobacter baumannii 4IA, and Pseudomonas sp. ISP3, were isolated from agricultural soil. The mixed culture of four isolates completely degraded the herbicide at 100  mg/L within 10 days. During IPU degradation, several transient accumulations of the metabolites, including 3-(4-isopropylphenyl)-1-methylurea, 3-(4-isopropylphenyl)-urea, 4-isopropylaniline, and 4-toluidine, were also identified. Moreover, the inoculation of the isolated mixed culture into the soi l from a mountain with no previous herbicide application increased the degradation rate by 51% of the herbicide on average. Furthermore, bioaugmentation with isolated bacteria in the soil resulted in short-term variations in bacterial structure compared to the unaugmented soil. The findings of this study were instrumental in understanding the mechanisms of pesticide breakdown and bioremediation in liquid media and soil.
Source: Canadian Journal of Microbiology - Category: Microbiology Authors: Source Type: research