Changes in the microbial activity in a soil amended with oak and pine residues and treated with terbuthylazine

Organic adsorbents such as pine and oak wood residues are being investigated as biomaterials for the immobilization of pesticides in soil. However, any organic matter added to soil can strongly affect the structure and activity of bacterial and fungal populations as a result of their increased metabolism of these readily available nutrients and can affect pesticide biodegradation. Effect of wood amendments (pine and oak residues) on terbuthylazine degradation and soil microbial community functioning was studied. For this purpose, degradation kinetics, soil dehydrogenase activity and the number of live bacteria, which represent measurements of the activity and viability of soil microorganisms, were assessed in soil treated with terbuthylazine and either amended with pine or oak wood or unamended (sterilized and non-sterilized).