Isolation of Pesticide Resistant Bacteria from Agricultural Soil (P-0837) (MFN 7045)

Abstract

Endosulfan α and β are commonly used pesticides in Pakistan but banned worldwide as they are a source of environmental pollution. The present study is aimed at isolation of indigenous bacterial strains resistant to Endosulfan, an organophosphates pesticide. Four agricultural fields were selected for sampling, two in G13 Islamabad and two in Haripur and Abbottabad. Soil samples were incubated with different percentages of α and β Endosulfan for isolating resistant bacteria. Resistance was observed in terms of growth of bacteria after incubation and subsequent biodegradation was observed by its growth on petri dishes when only carbon source provided to bacteria was the pesticide. It was concluded that the bacteria in the fields are not only getting more and more resistant to Endosulfan but are also developing degrading abilities thus can be used as a remedy for Endosulfan accumulation in the fields