Biodegradation of nicosulfuron by the bacterium Serratia marcescens N80

• Published in: Journal of environmental science and health. Part B, Pesticides, food contaminants, and agricultural wastes Pesticides, food contaminants, and agricultural wastes, 2012-03, Vol.47 (3), p.153-160
• Main Authors: Zhang, Hao, Mu, Wenhui, Hou, Zhiguang, Wu, Xian, Zhao, Weiwei, Zhang, Xianghui, Pan, Hongyu, Zhang, Shihong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 16S rDNA; Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Bacteria; Base Sequence; Biodegradation; Biodegradation, Environmental; Biological and medical sciences; Chromatography, Liquid; DNA, Bacterial; equations; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Generalities. Genetics. Plant material; Genetics and breeding of economic plants; Herbicides - metabolism; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; liquid chromatography; Mass Spectrometry; Metabolites; metsulfuron; Molecular Sequence Data; nicosulfuron; nitrogen; Origin, evolution, domestication; Parasitic plants. Weeds; phylogenetic analysis; Phylogeny; Phytopathology. Animal pests. Plant and forest protection; Plant material; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Pyridines - metabolism; rimsulfuron; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Serratia marcescens; Serratia marcescens - classification; Serratia marcescens - genetics; Serratia marcescens - isolation & purification; Serratia marcescens - metabolism; Sewage - microbiology; Sludge; Sulfonylurea Compounds - metabolism; Temperature; wastewater treatment; Water treatment; Weeds
• ISSN: 1532-4109; 0360-1234; 1532-4109
• DOI: 10.1080/03601234.2012.632249

By enrichment culturing of the sludge collected from the industrial wastewater treatment pond, we isolated a highly efficient nicosulfuron degrading bacterium Serratia marcescens N80. In liquid medium, Serratia marcescens N80 grows using nicosulfuron as the sole nitrogen source, and the optimal temperature, pH values, and inoculation for degradation are 30–35°C, 6.0–7.0, and 3.0% (v/v), respectively. With the initial concentration of 10 mg L⁻¹, the degradation rate is 93.6% in 96 hours; as the initial concentrations are higher than 10 mg L⁻¹, the biodegradation rates decrease as the nicosulfuron concentrations increase; when the concentration is 400 mg L⁻¹, the degradation rate is only 53.1%. Degradation follows the pesticide degradation kinetic equation at concentrations between 5 mg L⁻¹ and 50 mg L⁻¹. Identification of the metabolites by the liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) indicates that the degradation of nicosulfuron is achieved by breaking the sulfonylurea bridge. The strain N80 also degraded some other sulfonylurea herbicides, including ethametsulfuron, tribenuron-methyl, metsulfuron-methyl, chlorimuron-ethyl,and rimsulfuron.