Mineralization of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) in soil inoculated with Pseudomonas cepacia DBO1(pRO101), Alcaligenes eutrophus AEO106(pRO101) and Alcaligenes eutrophus JMP134(pJP4): effects of inoculation level and substrate concentration.

Mineralization of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) by two Alcaligenes eutrophus strains and one Pseudomonas cepacia strain containing the 2,4-D degrading plasmids pJP4 or pRO101 (= pJP4::Tn1721) was tested in 50 g (wet wt) samples of non-sterile soil. Mineralization was measured as 14C-CO2 evolved during degradation of uniformly-ring-labelled 14C-2,4-D. When the strains were inoculated to a level of approximately 10(8) CFU/g soil, between 20 and 45% of the added 2,4-D (0.05 ppm, 10 ppm or 500 ppm) was mineralized within 72 h. Mineralization of 0.05 ppm and 10 ppm 2,4-D by the two A. eutrophus strains was identical and rapid whereas mineralization by P. cepacia DBO1(pRO101) occurred more slowly. In contrast, mineralization of 500 ppm 2,4-D by the two A. eutrophus strains was very slow whereas mineralization by P. cepacia DBO1 was more rapid. Comparison of 2,4-D mineralization at different levels of inoculation with P. cepacia DBO1(pRO101) (6 x 10(4), 6 x 10(6) and 1 x 10(8) CFU/g soil) revealed that the maximum mineralization rate was reached earlier with the high inoculation levels than with the low level. The kinetics of mineralization were evaluated by nonlinear regression analysis using five different models. The linear or the logarithmic form of a three-half-order model were found to be the most appropriate models for describing 2,4-D mineralization in soil. In the cases in which the logarithmic form of the three-half-order model was the most appropriate model we found, in accordance with the assumptions of the model, a significant growth of the inoculated strains.