Isolation, screening and characterization of potential chlorpyrifos utilizing bacteria from Buddha Nullah as well as agricultural soils of rural Ludhiana, Kapurthala and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, Punjab

The state of Punjab is one of the highest users of pesticides especially after the ushering in of green revolution. Chlorpyrifos has been used in Punjab since 1970s for the eradication of various insects in fruits, vegetables, cotton, corn, wheat and to remove ticks, termites, roundworms, and mosquitoes. The impact of this pesticide is such that the WHO has put it to adversely affect 97% of the 1,782 species listed under the endangered species act. Considering that chlorpyrifos is one of the most commonly applied insecticides for control of pests and insects especially in Punjab, the purpose of this research was to isolate and characterize chlorpyrifos utilizing bacteria able to rapidly and efficiently degrade chlorpyrifos from Ludhiana, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar and nearby villages. Through repetitive enrichment and successive culturing, indigenous bacterial strains were screened and examined in detail for their morphological, cultural and biochemical characteristics. In addition to this, the study also aimed to assess their adaptation to high concentrations of chlorpyrifos and to determine their drug resistance potential.