Elana Avidov,

Nadav Aharonson 

Jaacov Katan

Degradation of diphenamid in soil with accelerated degradation and in nontreated control soil and the involvement of soil microorganisms in these processes were investigated. Soil with accelerated degradation and mixed bacterial cultures originating from the same soil degraded diphenamid and its monodemethylated metabolite (diphen M-1) much faster than the control. The bidemethylated derivative (diphen M-2) was degraded much more slowly than diphenamid or diphen M-1. The abundance of fungi capable of degrading diphenamid was similar in the soils with and without accelerated degradation. Degradation of diphenamid by mixed bacterial cultures from a soil with accelerated degradation was much faster than by a culture from nontreated soil and was suppressed by the fungicides thiram and fentin acetate. These two fungicides, as well as the bactericide chloramphenicol, suppressed diphenamid degradation in mixed bacterial cultures. The antifungal cycloheximide and the actinomycete suppressor PCNB did not affect the degradation of diphenamid. Metabolism of 14C-diphenamid in a soil with accelerated degradation and in mixed bacterial cultures originating from the same soil showed similarities with regard to evolution of 14CO2 and production of certain metabolites, while the metabolism of diphenamid by Fusarium, which rapidly degrades diphenamid in cultures, was different with regard to the above parameters. This study suggests that development of accelerated degradation in a soil involves a shift in population and/or in activity of microbial degraders in favor of bacteria. It appears that the accelerated degradation occurred by inducing oxidative reaction which involves demethylation of diphenamid.