Lindane remov al using Streptomyces strains and maize plants: a biological system for reducing pesticides in soils

ALVAREZ A; BENIMELI CS; SAEZ MJ; GIULIANO A; AMOROSO MJ

PLANT AND SOIL

SPRINGER

Lugar: Berlin; Año: 2015

0032-079X

Background and aims: Plants and contaminant-degradingmicrobes are a suitable combination for the remediation ofpesticides. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectivenessof Streptomyces strains cultured with maize plants in relation tolindane removal.Methods: Four Streptomyces strains were cultured and added asboth single and mixed cultures, along with maize plants, toartificially polluted hydroponic systems and soils. The effectivenessof the resulting soil bioremediation was then evaluated throughphytotoxicity testing using lettuce seedlings.Results: In the hydroponic and soil experiments, similar levels oflindane removal were recorded in the inoculated andnon-inoculated systems where maize plants were introduced.However, the vigor index (VI) of the maize plants was highest whengrown in inoculated and artificially polluted soil. In thephytotoxicity assay, the VI of the lettuce seedlings increased withincreasing bioremediation time for the soils, thus indicating theeffectiveness of the process.Conclusions: Similar levels of lindane removal were recorded inboth inoculated and non-inoculated planted systems, indicatingthat pesticide removal was not significantly affected by thebacterial inoculant. However, inoculation an actinobacteriaconsortium led to an increase in the VI of the maize and protectedthe plants against the existing toxicity. Furthermore, maize plantsmay attenuate the transient toxic effects of microbial lindanedegradation.