The herbicide atrazine (2-Chloro-4-ethylamino-6-isopropylamino-s-triazine) is widely used on crops such as maize, sugarcane, corn, pineapple and sorghum. Although atrazine is an effective herbicide, the persistence of this herbicide leads to contamination of soil, groundwater and surface water. This work presents the laboratory studies on the degradation of atrazine. Atrazine degrading fungal strain JAV1 was isolated from paddy field. The molecular characterization based on 18S rRNA sequence revealed the strain JAV1 as Aspergillus alliaceus. The strain was able to degrade atrazine at the concentration of 1500 mgL-1 and their complete degradation was seen on sixth day of incubation by strain JAV1. The results were confirmed with the help of sophisticated instruments such as high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), gas chromatography mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR).

Jayanthi Abraham

Department of Bio-Medical Sciences

School of Bio Sciences and Technology

Vellore Campus

Gajendiran A

Vijayavenkatesan V

Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) is a private university located in&nbsp;Tamil Nadu, India. Founded in 1984, as Vellore Engineering College, the institution offers 20 undergraduate, 34 postgraduate, four integrated and four research programs. It has campuses in Vellore, Amravati, Bhopal and Chennai.

VIT is one of the top ranked private universities in India according to NIRF, THE and QS Rankings.&nbsp;Govt. of India has recognized&nbsp;VIT, Vellore as an&nbsp;Institution of Eminence. This has allowed VIT to take independent quality initiatives and move up in world ranking.

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VIT University

Bioremediation of Herbicide Atrazine by Fungal sp. Aspergillus alliaceus Strain JAV1 Isolated from Paddy Field Soil in Vellore

Asian Journal of Water, Environment and Pollution

Fipronil is a most widely used insecticide. It has been found to be highly toxic to insects with alarming decline in honey bees' population. It has shown to cause severe contamination of soil and water. The present study was undertaken to understand the degradation of fipronil and its metabolite fipronil sulfone using actinomycetes. Fipronil degrading actinomycetes strain AJAG7 was isolated from fipronil contaminated agricultural field by enrichment method. Molecular identification by 16S rRNA gene sequencing identified strain AJAG7 as Streptomyces rochei. The biodegradation of fipronil and its metabolite fipronil sulfone by strain AJAG7 was examined by HPLC. Biodegradation pathway of fipronil by strain AJAG7 was deduced with GC-MS analysis. Scanning electron microscopy was used to investigate the surface morphological changes of strain AJAG7 upon fipronil degradation. Apart from fipronil degradation, low cost powder formulation of strain AJAG7 was prepared using agricultural waste to remediate the fipronil contaminated agricultural field. Results of the present study suggest that strain AJAG7 qualifies as an ideal candidate for biodegradation of fipronil contaminated environment.

Pesticide Biochemistry and Physiology

Biodegradation of fipronil and its metabolite fipronil sulfone by Streptomyces rochei strain AJAG7 and its use in bioremediation of contaminated soil

PLoS ONE

Isolation and Characterization of Atrazine Mineralizing Bacillus subtilis Strain HB-6

Journal of Zhejiang University SCIENCE B

Atrazine biodegradation efficiency, metabolite detection, and trzD gene expression by enrichment bacterial cultures from agricultural soil

Environmentally Realistic Exposure to the Herbicide Atrazine Alters Some Sexually Selected Traits in Male Guppies

Advances in Microbiology

AtzABC Catabolic Gene Probe from Novel Atrazine-Degrading Rhodococcus Strain Isolated from a Nigerian Agricultural Soil

Journal of Hazardous Materials

Oxidative decomposition of atrazine in water in the presence of hydrogen peroxide using an innovative microwave photochemical reactor

Journal	Asian Journal of Water, Environment and Pollution
Publisher	IOS Press
ISSN	0972-9860
Open Access	0