Summary
1. Evidence was obtained of the rapid translocation of radioactive Diazion through bean plants and its emergence in bean root exudates maintained under sterile conditions.
2. The presence of bean rhizosphere microflora did not appear to be a factor in the metabolism of Diazinon by the bean plant.
3. Diazinon applied at the rate of 3 lbs per acre to soil under non-sterile conditions persisted for as long as 180 days after application. No Diazinon was detectable after 10 weeks in soil receiving 0.3 lbs per acre.
4. Diazinon or its degradation products exerted a selective effect common to both soil and rhizosphere microflora which expressed itself in the selective enrichment of a cocoidal rod. Numbers of fungi seemed unaffected by the presence of Diazinon. After 180 days a large number of the genus Streptomyces appeared as a seeming climax population.
5. The predominant microbial isolate utilized Diazinon as a sulfur, phosphorus, carbon and nitrogen source in that order of preference. The biodegradability of Diazinon was conditioned by its solubilization in a suitable carrier, and by the presence of an additional carbon source.
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A contribution from the University of Massachusetts Agricultural Experiment Station, Amherst and East Wareham. This work was undertaken in collaboration with Northeast Regional Cooperative research project 53, ‘Transformations of insecticides by plants,’ and was supported in part by funds from the U.S. Dept. of Interior — Water Resources Grant WR-10(FY-65).
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Gunner, H.B., Zuckerman, B.M., Walker, R.W. et al. The distribution and persistence of diazinon applied to plant and soil and its influence on rhizosphere and soil microflora. Plant Soil 25, 249–264 (1966). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01347822
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01347822