DEGRADATION OF BINARY AND TERNARY MIXTURES OF S-TRIAZINES BY A SOIL BACTERIAL ISOLATE

An atrazine-degrading bacterial isolate (M91-3) was able to utilize si mazine and cyanazine as N sources for glucose-dependent growth. The de gradation of these three s-triazine herbicides was also investigated i n binary and ternary mixtures. The organism used atrazine and simazine indiscriminately, whereas cyanazine degradation was slow and delayed until the depletion of the two other herbicides. There was no apparent effect of other commonly used herbicides on the rate of atrazine degr adation by M91-3.