title: Atrazine and terbuthylazine mineralization by an Arthrobacter sp. isolated from a sugarcane-cultivated soil in Kenya.
abstract: A tropical soil from a Kenyan sugarcane-cultivated field showed a very high capability to mineralize (14)C-ring-labeled atrazine. In laboratory experiments this soil mineralized about 90% of the applied atrazine within 98 d. The atrazine-degrading microbial community was enriched in liquid cultures containing atrazine as the sole N source and 100 mgL(-1) glucose as additional C source. From the enrichment culture a bacterial strain was isolated and identified by comparative sequence analysis of the 16S-rDNA as member of the genus Arthrobacter. The enriched mixed culture as well as the isolated strain, designated as Arthrobacter sp. strain GZK-1, could grow on atrazine and terbuthylazine as sole N-sources; Arthrobacter sp. GZK-1 mineralized (14)C-ring-labeled atrazine up to 88% to (14)CO(2) and (14)C-ring-labeled terbuthylazine up to 65% to (14)CO(2) in a liquid culture within 14 d. The enriched microbial consortium as well as the isolated strain could be a potential solution for the remediation of s-triazine polluted agricultural soils.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Sciences-Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, PO Box 190, Kakamega 50100, Kenya.
authors.forename: Zachary
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Getenga
authors.forename: Ulrike
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Dörfler
authors.forename: Azuka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Iwobi
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schmid
authors.forename: Reiner
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schroll
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture; D001173:Arthrobacter / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D001280:Atrazine / Q000378:metabolism*; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D006540:Herbicides / Q000378:metabolism*; D007630:Kenya; D031786:Saccharum / Q000254:growth & development; D012987:Soil; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D014227:Triazines / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D006540:Herbicides; D012987:Soil; D014227:Triazines; C037565:terbutylazine; D001280:Atrazine