Isolation and Molecular Characterization of Soil Bacteria Capable of Degrading Chlorpyrifos and Diuron Pesticides

Abstract

The pesticides Chlorpyrifos and Diuron have been extensively used in sugarcane farming for several years in spite of their known harmful effects. The aim of this study was to isolate hlorpyrifos and Diuron- degrading bacteria from exposed agricultural soil in the Nzoia River Drainage Basin and characterize the isolated bacteria by analyzing the 16S rRNA nucleotide sequence. The isolates could be potential candidates for use in bioremediation protocols. One soil isolate was found capable of degrading Chlorpyrifos and another was found capable of degrading Diuron. 16S rRNA gene sequences of the two isolates were deposited in GenBank and assigned the Accession Numbers MG517447 and MG517448 respectively. Sequence analysis of the two isolates using BLASTN and phylogenetic analysis revealed that the isolate capable of utilizing Chlorpyrifos as the sole carbon source was Kosakonia oryzae strain Ola 51, while the isolate capable of utilizing Diuron as the sole carbon source was Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain M-1. Kosakonia oryzae strain Ola 51 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain M-1 are thus potential candidates for use in bioremediation protocols for soils contaminated with Chlorpyrifos and Diuron, respectively.