Determining the Toxicity of Herbicides Using a Novel Method

摘要

A simple method to measure toxic chemicals has been used. This assay uses thebacterium Rhizobium meliloti as the indicator organism. This assay was used to measure the toxicity of 30 herbicides used on the New Mexico State University farms. The toxicity using this test was compared with values from the manufacturers using animal tests and Dalphnia tests. Three herbicides were tested for their stability when mixed with three soil types. Soil was taken from a cotton field, from an alfalfa field and from an uncultivated desert soil. The assay can be used to determine the toxicity of herbicides and to follow the fate of herbicides in the soil.