Isolation and Molecular Characterization of Pesticide Degrading Bacteria in Polluted Soil

Abstract

Pesticides are the substances for preventing, destroying, repelling any pest. Due to bulk handling or accidental release, they are accumulated in soil which leads to occasional entry into ecosystem that shows lethal effect on living system. An enrichment culture technique was used to isolate bacterial strains from organophosphate soil degrading high concentration of the selected pesticides. Five pure bacterial cultures were isolated. All five isolates were characterized on the basis of molecular and biochemical features like biodegradation test and substrate specificity, phosphate solubilization and screened for pesticide residue, pH, and extraction of DNA, quantity and quality check and salt tolerance. The organophosphate isolates were also tested for quantitative production. The screening of pesticide tolerance was done at for fungicides and insecticides.