Evaluation of seven chemical pesticides by mixed microbial culture (PCS-1): degradation ability, microbial community, and Medicago sativa phytotoxicity

Abstract Environmental problems caused by the large-scale use of chemical pesticides are becoming more and more serious, and the removal of chemical pesticides from the ecological environment by microbial degradation has attracted wide attention. In this study, using enrichment screening with seven chemical pesticides as the sole carbon source, a mixed microbial culture (PCS-1) was obtained from the continuous cropping of strawberry fields. The microbial community composition, degradation ability, and detoxification effect of PCS-1 was determined for the seven pesticides. Inoculation with PCS-1 showed significant degradation of and tolerance to the seven pesticides. Microbial community composition analysis indicated that Pseudomonas, Enterobacter, Aspergillus, and Rhodotorula were the dominant genera for the degradation of the seven pesticides by PCS-1. The concentration of the seven pesticides was 10 mg L−1 in hydroponic and soil culture experiments. The fresh weight, plant height, and root length of PCS-1-inoculated alfalfa (Medicago sativa) significantly increased compared with those of non-PCS-1-inoculated M. sativa. PCS-1 not only effectively degraded the residual content of the seven pesticides in water and soil but also reduced the pesticide residues in the roots, stems, and leaves of M. sativa. This study shows that PCS-1 may be important in environmental remediation involving the seven pesticides.