Biodegradation of the Herbicide Atrazine in Groundwater under Laboratory Conditions

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Abstract
The potential for aerobic biotransformation of the herbicide atrazine was investigated in groundwater microcosms under laboratory conditions. Fresh groundwater samples were collected from an agricultural area (Southern Alsace, France) where corn crops have been cultivated for at least ten years. Water microcosms were incubated at 20°C and the biodegradation of atrazine (2.104 mg l−1) was followed weekly over 180 days. After a lag period of 15 to 44 days, catabolism occurred rapidly and total degradation of the added pesticide occurred in 21 to 70 days depending on the physico-chemical composition of the groundwater. Re-application of the pesticide to a sample revealed an induction phenomenon with an increase in rate of the catabolism and disappearance of the initial lag-phase. A combination of enrichment culture techniques and plating on selective atrazine-agar have permitted the isolation of several aerobic Gram negative bacteria able to biodegrade the herbicide in a mixed culture of two or three species.

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