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Characterization of Acetanilide Herbicides Degrading Bacteria Isolated from Tea Garden Soil

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Abstract

Three different green manures were added to the tea garden soils separately and incubated for 40 days. After, incubation, acetanilide herbicides alachlor and metolachlor were spiked into the soils, separately, followed by the isolation of bacteria in each soil at designed intervals. Several bacterial strains were isolated from the soils and identified as Bacillus silvestris, B. niacini, B. pseudomycoides, B. cereus, B. thuringiensis, B. simplex, B. megaterium, and two other Bacillus sp. (Met1 and Met2). Three unique strains with different morphologies were chosen for further investigation. They were B. megaterium, B. niacini, and B. silvestris. The isolated herbicide-degrading bacteria showed optimal performance among three incubation temperatures of 30°C and the best activity in the 10 to 50 μg/ml concentration of the herbicide. Each bacterial strain was able to degrade more than one kind of test herbicides. After incubation for 119 days, B. cereus showed the highest activity to degrade alachlor and propachlor, and B. thuringiensis to degrade metolachlor.

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Acknowledgments

This investigation was supported by funds provided by the National Science Council and Council of Agriculture, Administration Yuan, Taiwan, under Agreement NSC91-2313- B-002-350 and 92-AS-1.2.1-FD-Z1.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agricultural Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Roosevelt Road, 1, Sec. 4, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan

    Yei-Shung Wang, Jian-Chang Liu, Wen-Ching Chen & Jui-Hung Yen

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  1. Yei-Shung Wang
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  2. Jian-Chang Liu
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  4. Jui-Hung Yen
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Correspondence to Jui-Hung Yen.

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Wang, YS., Liu, JC., Chen, WC. et al. Characterization of Acetanilide Herbicides Degrading Bacteria Isolated from Tea Garden Soil. Microb Ecol 55, 435–443 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-007-9289-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-007-9289-z

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