Abstract
A study of the effects of two selected organophosphorus insecticides methylpyrimifos and chlorpyrifos on soil microflora in an agricultural loam was made. The insecticides had concentrations of 10 to 300 μg g−1. The presence of methylpyrimifos at concentrations of 100 to 300 μg g−1 or chlorpyrifos at concentrations from 10 to 300 μg g−1 significantly decreased aerobic dinitrogen fixing bacteria and dinitrogen fixation. Nitrifying bacteria decreased at concentrations of 200 and 300 μg g−1 of methylpyrimifos. The presence of 10 to 300 μg g−1 of chlorpyrifos decreased the total number of bacteria. However, fungal populations and denitrifying bacteria were not affected as a consequence of the addition of the organophosphorus insecticides to the agricultural soil, showing that these microorganisms can tolerate high amounts of those insecticides.
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Martinez-Toledo, M.V., Salmeron, V. & Gonzalez-Lopez, J. Effect of the insecticides methylpyrimifos and chlorpyrifos on soil microflora in an agricultural loam. Plant Soil 147, 25–30 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00009367
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00009367