Effects of the herbicide alachlor on soil microbial activities

✍ Scribed by C. Pozo; V. Salmeron; B. Rodelas; M. V. Martinez-Toledo; J. Gonzalez-Lopez

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1994
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 494 KB
• Volume: 3
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0963-9292
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00121384

✦ Synopsis

A study was made of the effects of one selected acetanilide herbicide, alachlor, at concentrations of 2.0-10.0 kg ha-' on bacterial populations, fungi, dinitrogen fixation bacteria, denitrifying bacteria, nitrifying bacteria, nitrogenase activity, acid and alkaline phosphatases, arylsulfatase and deshydrogenase. The presence of 2.0-10.0 kg ha-' of alachlor in the soil increased the total number of bacteria and fungi. The population of denitrifying bacteria increased significantly at concentrations of 5.0-10.0 kg ha-'. However, aerobic dinitrogen fixing bacteria and nitrogenase activity decreased at alachlor concentrations of 3.5-10.0 kg ha-'. Acid and alkaline phosphatases, arylsulfatase and dehydrogenase activity decreased significantly initially at concentrations of 5.0-10.0 kg ha-', but recovered to levels similar to those in the control. Nitrifying bacteria were not affected as a consequence of the addition of the herbicide to agricultural soil.