Utilizing actinobacteria for glyphosate biodegradation: innovative solutions for sustainable agricultural soil remediation

Glyphosate is one of the most widely used herbicides globally, yet its extensive application has raised significant ecological concerns. The objective of this study is to evaluate the ability of actinobacteria to degrade glyphosate under various environmental conditions. Four strains of actinobacteria were selected for their ability to thrive in a minimal medium containing 50 mg/L of glyphosate. The optimization of glyphosate biodegradation was assessed through a colorimetric method, which showed that the highest biodegradation rate occurred at a pH of 7.2, a temperature of 30 °C and an inoculum volume of 4%. The isolates were identified as follows: Streptomyces sp. strain SPA2 (accession number pp413753), Streptomyces rochei. strain IT (accession number pp413751), Streptomyces variabilis. strain Herb (accession number pp413750), and Streptomyces griseoincarnatus. strain SC (accession number PP413754). Analysis of total organic carbon reduction demonstrated that the strains SPA2, IT, Herb, and SC achieved reductions of 56.11%, 47.96%, 82.06%, and 67.12%, respectively. Furthermore, ATR-FTIR spectroscopy indicated alterations in the chemical structure of glyphosate post-biodegradation. These findings underscore the significant potential of the identified actinobacterial strains as viable agents for the bioremediation of glyphosate-contaminated agricultural soils.