Abstract
The application of pesticides in agricultural fields not only reaches the target pests but also with soil where it interacts with soil microorganisms resulting in change of microbial diversity. Chlorpyrifos (CP) is one such organophosphorous insecticide most widely used against various insects, termites, and beetles throughout the globe. In the present work, the effect of CP on soil microbial population was assessed by the cultivable method. The fertile soil which does not have a history of any pesticide application was treated with 100 and 200 µg/g of CP along with control which received only sterile water and incubated for 1, 7, and 14 days. The soil amended with the insecticide showed decrease in the number of colony forming units (CFU) of bacteria and fungi. However, Streptomyces sp. HP-11 which tolerated high concentration and also inhibited fungal population was further selected for biodegradation studies. After 14 days of incubation in Mineral salt media (MSM), the strain HP-11 biotransformed CP into 3, 5, 6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCP) and Diethyl Phosphorothioate (DETP), and its formation was confirmed by the m/z peak of LC-MS analysis, which was later metabolized to unknown polar metabolites. The results obtained highlights that the application of chlorpyrifos favored the Actinomycete growth in the soil, thereby inhibiting other microorganisms and the strain HP-11 harbors metabolic pathway for detoxification of CP and its hydrolysis product TCP into polar metabolites, thus suggesting the strain HP-11 will be a potential bioaugmenting agent for the bioremediation of chlorpyrifos contaminated soil and water.