PGPR Bacteria — Cleaning Pesticides While Boosting Crop Growth

Can a microbe both protect plants and clean up our soil? The answer is yes — thanks to Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR).

PGPR are well-known for improving nutrient uptake and boosting plant immunity. But there's another superpower that deserves more attention: accelerating pesticide degradation in soils.

A study published in Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2011) evaluated several Bacillus strains:

• Bacillus subtilis GB03, FZB24

• B. amyloliquefaciens IN937a

• B. pumilus SE34

The target pesticides

• Acibenzolar-S-methyl

• Metribuzin

• Napropamide

• Propamocarb HCl

• Thiamethoxam

The results were striking

• Degradation rates for acibenzolar-S-methyl were up to 5–6 times faster than control soils.

• Soil half-lives dropped from >34 days to as low as 9–16 days.

• Bacillus strains also enhanced the breakdown of other compounds, including neonicotinoids like thiamethoxam.

Dual benefit

• The same bacteria that reduce pesticide residues also act as plant growth promoters, improving root development and stress resistance.

Additional twist

These Bacillus strains actually thrived in pesticide-contaminated environments, meaning they can be co-applied with certain chemical treatments to mitigate residual risks.

Why it matters

Instead of choosing between synthetic crop protection and biological soil health, PGPR offer a hybrid strategy: protecting yields and detoxifying soils at the same time.

Sources: Zhang et al., Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2011