Influence of microbial inoculation (Pseudomonas sp. strain ADP), the enzyme atrazine chlorohydrolase, and vegetation on the degradation of atrazine and metolachlor in soil.

The concentrations of atrazine in the freshly added soils and the soils that had been incubated for 50 days significantly decreased 1 day after the addition of the enzyme atrazine chlorohydrolase or the soil bacterium Pseudomonas sp. strain ADP as compared with those in the uninoculated soils. Atrazine chlorohydrolase or ADP had no effect on the degradation of metolachlor. The half-lives of atrazine in the freshly added soils and in the aged soils after the treatment with atrazine chlorohydrolase or ADP markedly decreased as compared with those in the uninoculated soils. The half-lives of metolachlor in the aged soils were much longer than those of freshly added metolachlor. The percentage atrazine degraded in the freshly treated soils was much higher than that in the aged soils. This indicates that aging significantly decreased the bioavailability of atrazine. Vegetation significantly decreased the concentration of metolachlor. However, vegetation showed no effect on the degradation of atrazine.