Biodegradation of a mixture of the herbicides linuron and metribuzin by the white rot fungus Trametes versicolor

The white rot fungi are a physiological rather than taxonomic grouping, comprising those fungi that are capable of extensively degrading lignin. Due to this ability many studies were carried out on degradation of different toxic pollutants. In this study, the ability of the white rot fungus Trametes versicolor to degrade a mixture of the herbicides linuron and metribuzin, in different concentrations and water stress conditions, was investigated. We used a nutritionally poor soil extract broth: alone (-0.7MPa) and amended with KCl or glycerol to increase water stress (-2.8MPa). Every week and for six weeks herbicides remaining were determined by HPLC. Results showed that linuron was completely degraded within 5 weeks regardless of treatment, while metribuzin was degraded by 50%, only in the soil extract broth amended with glycerol.