Microbial glyphosate degradation

Information on our research projects in the area of microbial glyphosate degradation.

Glyphosate is an herbicide that is used globally to kill weeds in several industrial sectors such as to clear rail lines or in private gardens. The dominant user of glyphosate, however, is the agricultural sector, especially since many crops have been genetically modified to withstand glyphosate application. Despite its global application, the impact that glyphosate has on the microorganisms that populate agricultural soils remains largely unknown. Does glyphosate disrupt any of the key processes performed by soil microorganisms such as the nitrogen cycle? Do soil microorganisms help degrade the glyphosate to reduce its persistence in the environment? Is glyphosate even accessible to the microorganisms that can degrade it? To tackle these questions, we study both individual microorganisms and soil microbial communities in the laboratory and in the environment. We investigate how these microorganisms interact with glyphosate by using molecular biological techniques coupled to chemical data and apply the findings to large-scale environmental processes.

 

Researchers involved in the project:

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