Studies on a mixed bacterial culture from soil which degrades the herbicide linuron

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Abstract
A stable mixed bacterial culture which degrades the herbicide linuron was isolated from soil by enrichment with linuron in a liquid mineral medium. Radio‐respirometry studies showed that the culture mineralised linuron completely. No intermediate degradation products were detected in the medium. The culture was able to utilise linuron as a source of both nitrogen and carbon and was also able to degrade the related herbicides monolinuron and chlorbromuron and the possible intermediate degradation products of linuron: 3,4‐dichlorophenyl‐l‐methylurea, 3,4‐dichlorophenylurea and 3,4‐dichloroaniline. The culture was unable to degrade the 1,1‐dimethyl substituted ureas monuron, diuron or metoxuron. The culture contained Gram‐negative aerobic rods, and Gram‐positive aerobic non‐spore‐forming rods and cocco‐bacilli. Of 124 isolates from the mixed culture, none degraded linuron in pure culture, indicating that a consortium of organisms is involved. Further investigation suggested that Pseudomonas spp. were important components of the population responsible for degradation.