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 conditions^1–4. This degradation may be microbiological since it is negligible in soils sterilised by steam^1–3,5 or chemicals^2,3. 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.