Title
The capacity of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) to degrade atrazine in a phytoremediation setting.
Campus Units
Entomology
Document Type
Article
Publication Version
Accepted Manuscript
Publication Date
1-19-2011
Journal or Book Title
Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
Volume
30
Issue
3
First Page
715
Last Page
722
DOI
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/etc.437
Abstract
Atrazine is a widely used herbicide in agriculture. Non-point source contamination of groundwater and drinking water may pose a significant threat to humans, wildlife, and the environment. Phytoremediation may provide a cost-effective strategy for reducing non-point source contamination of atrazine from agricultural runoff. Previous studies have shown that the rhizosphere of the native prairie grass, switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is capable of enhancing the degradation of atrazine in soils. Biodegradation also may occur within the plant biomass; however, the extent to which this occurs has not been studied. We hypothesize that switchgrass has the capacity to degrade atrazine in vivo, in addition to the microbial biotransformation that occurs in its rhizosphere. The goals of this study were to characterize the ability of switchgrass to take up atrazine from soils, quantify the amount of biodegradation occurring in the plant, and quantify the amount of degradation occurring in the rhizosphere. Switchgrass seedlings were transplanted into autoclaved and non-autoclaved sand containing 10 µg/g atrazine in sand. Treatments were sacrificed on days 0, 3, and 7. Sand and plant tissue extracts were analyzed by gas chromatography to determine the concentration of atrazine and metabolites in sand and plant tissues. Results demonstrated that leaf biomass is capable of detoxifying atrazine, because metabolites were present in leaf material and not in the sand or root.
Copyright Owner
SETAC
Copyright Date
2011
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Murphy, Ian J. and Coats, Joel R., "The capacity of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) to degrade atrazine in a phytoremediation setting." (2011). Entomology Publications. 401.
https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/ent_pubs/401
Included in
Entomology Commons, Horticulture Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plant Pathology Commons
Comments
This is the peer reviewed version of the following article from Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, March 2011, 30(3); 715-722,. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving."