Isolation of amitrole-degrading bacteria

Abstract

THE herbicide, amitrole (3-amino-1,2,4-triazole) is degraded in soil within a matter of weeks under favourable conditions1–4. This degradation may be microbiological since it is negligible in soils sterilised by steam1–3,5 or chemicals2,3. Kaufman et al.6, however, consider amitrole breakdown to be primarily due to chemical processes since amitrole-degrading organisms have never been isolated from soil. They found that degradation of amitrole continued in chemically sterilised, though not in autoclaved soil. We report here the isolation of amitrole-degrading microorganisms from soil, thus strengthening the case for microbial degradation.