Chapter 3 - Microbial degradation of pesticides: microbial potential for degradation of pesticides

Abstract

Irrational pesticide application has been proverbial for the past few decades to be harmful to the climate, to have an adverse impact on soil fertility, and to impart biomagnification of toxicity in living tissues. There are physical, chemical, biological, and enzymatic approaches to eradicating toxic pesticide loads involved in the current scenario. Microbial enzymatic practice has been inquisitively cost-effective and thermodynamically more robust than other chemicals. In favorable conditions, pesticides are being used by microbes to supply carbon, sulfur, and electron donors. Microbes are provided to effectively take away or detoxify chlorinated pesticides; polychlorinated diphenyl, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and organophosphorus; and bacteria, actinomycetes, and fungi. Main genera of microorganisms include Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Flavobacterium, Micrococcus, Acinetobacter, Aerobacter, Alkaligens, Burkholderia, and Sphingomonas. Fungi with chemical degradation potential includes Fusarium, Aspergilus niger, Penicillium, and Oxysporum. Among the others, Actinomycetes and Streptomycetes have been found with success to detoxify pesticides. Persistent organic pollutants within the style of pesticides have conjointly been according to be taken care by the microbial enzymes vis-a-vis dehydrogenase, ligninase, oxygenase, peroxidizes, phosphotriesterase, hydrolases, dehalogenase, and organophosphorus acid anhydrolase.