Evidence of Fungicides Degradation by Rhizobia

Fungicides which are not easily degradable have the greatest adverse effects on soil microbes. These pesticides negatively affect the growth and multiplication of fungi and bacteria and consequently cause the disturbance of the natural soil microbial balance. In this study, two fungicide tolerant isolates of rhizobia; clover isolate (TA1) and peanut isolate (8) were assessed in their capacity to degrade Vitavax and Rizolex. The performance of these isolates in fungicides degradation was tested, using the colorimetric assay for Rizolex and the HPLC analysis for Vitavax to detect the degradation products. Using HPLC analyses, the control sample showed specific peak indicating the Vitavax presence in the medium. The specific peak did not change in the control samples throughout the experiment. With the strain TA1, the specific peak of the Vitavax fungicides started to reduce as the incubation time goes on. The Vitavax fungicide did not degrade completely after 240 hours of incubation with rhizobial isolate.