Environmental sustainability through microbial remediation: A case study on atrazine and nicosulfuron

The widespread use of atrazine and nicosulfuron has been shown to adversely affect the growth of current crops, thereby diminishing productivity. Additionally, these compounds present a notable risk to subsequent crops, underscoring the importance of continued research and caution regarding their application. Microbial remediation technology has gained increasing attention for its effectiveness in mitigating herbicide contamination and residue. This approach offers key advantages, including operational simplicity and environmental sustainability. In the present study, a Priestia aryabhattai YB01 strain was isolated from cornfield soil and found to effectively degrade both atrazine and nicosulfuron. An artificial neural network and response surface methodology were used to optimize degradation conditions, achieving maximum degradation rates of 56.99% for atrazine and 44.51% for nicosulfuron. Whole-genome sequencing enabled the elucidation of the degradation mechanism. Molecular docking analyses revealed that functional proteins GE005880 and GE000952 had the highest binding affinities for atrazine and nicosulfuron, respectively, with binding energies of -6.85 kcal/mol and - 7.48 kcal/mol. Molecular dynamics simulations confirmed that atrazine and nicosulfuron exhibit high mutual affinity, and their simultaneous presence may lead to an inhibitory interaction during co-degradation, with atrazine showing a stronger suppressive effect on nicosulfuron degradation.