Resistance of Rhizobium strains to phygon, spergon, and thiram.

Strains of Rhizobium meliloti, Rhizobium sp. nodulating cowpeas, and R. phaseoli derived from cultures susceptible to tetramethylthiuram disulfide (thiram), 2,3-dichloro-1,4-naphthoquinone (phygon), and 2,3,5,6-tetrachloro-p-benzoquinone (spergon), respectively, grew in the presence of high concentrations of the fungicides and converted them to products not toxic to the sensitive rhizobia. The results of chemical assays demonstrated that the pesticides were destroyed by the resistant bacteria but not by the susceptible parent rhizobia. Resting cells of thiram-metabolizing R. meliloti formed large quantities of dimethyldithiocarbamate, dimethylamine, and CS2 from the pesticide. The products were characterized by gas and thin-layer chromatography, colorimetric reactions, and ultraviolet spectrometry. Dimethylamine and CS2 were formed spontaneously from dimethyldithiocarbamate, but the yield was higher in the presence of R. meliloti. The phygon-resistant bacterium converted the fungicide to five metabolites and thereby rendered the chemical nontoxic to a test fungus. The resistant strain of R. phaseoli generated at least one organic product and released about one-third of the chlorine during its detoxication of spergon.