Bioprospection of herbicide-resistant microorganisms

Abstract

Herbicides are efficient tools for controlling weeds in crops; however there are many environmental
concerns associated with their use. Scientists are developing strategies to better understand the relationships between herbicide use and damage to the environment. The present work aimed to isolate microorganisms with genes for resistance to, or degradation of the herbicides utilized in rice fields. Two experiments were carried
out: 1) to verify the presence of microorganisms in a tank where herbicides, insecticides and other agricultural products are discharged; 2) to verify the presence of microorganisms in flasks of the herbicide Nominee®. In this
last experiment, the capacity of the microorganisms to use the herbicide as their only carbon source was also tested. The culture media nutrient-agar (NA), Sabouraud and minimal medium (MM) were used. In experiment 1, the presence of microorganisms was verified in the discard tank. In experiment 2, microrganisms were isolated from a new and a used flask of the herbicide. The capacity of the microorganisms to use the herbicide
as a source of carbon was proven. The strains isolated in this work were purified and addressed for experiments to test their resistance to other herbicides, as well as the capacity to degrade them.