Isolation and characterization of microbial destructors of imazamox for soil remediation

The use of pesticides and their accumulation in soil have become a major global concern. One of the most effective ways to address this issue is through the use of microorganisms to break down pesticides directly in soil. This can be achieved by selecting specific microorganisms that are capable of utilizing the pesticide as quickly and completely as possible. During the work, we isolated 29 strains of microorganisms from agricultural soils that were regularly treated with herbicides containing the active ingredient imazamox. Of these, six strains of micromycetes and three strains of bacteria were selected, capable of degrading imazamox (the maximum reduction in imazamox concentration was 54-55%). It should be noted that the literature predominantly describes bacterial strains capable of degrading imidazolinone-class herbicides, while studies on fungal activity against these compounds are limited. However, this study has revealed the high potential of certain fungi, including those from the genera Trichoderma and Penicillium, for the remediation of soils contaminated with the herbicide imazamox.