Some Effects of 2,2-Dichloropropionic Acid on Soil Microorganisms

Abstract

The increasing use of dalapon (sodium salt of 2,2–dichloropropionic acid) by farmers and agricultural workers has stimulated interest in its effect upon the soil microflora and soil microbiological processes. Thiegs and Holstun and Loomis concluded that dalapon is broken down by an undertermined fraction of the soil microbial population. Magee and Colmer reported that dalapon at rates higher than those used in field applications, was toxic, as measured by manometric methods, to certain species of Azotobacter. Smith, Dawson, and Wenzel reported the effects of several other herbicides on soil microorganisms under laboratory conditions.