Enzyme from Soil Bacterium Hydrolyzes Phenylcarbamate Herbicides

An enzyme preparation from Pseudomonas sp., isolated from a soil culture by an enrichment technique, liberated 3-chloroaniline from the herbicide isopropyl N-(3-chlorophenyl) carbamate. Aniline, 3-chloroaniline, and 3,4-dichloroaniline were detected when the enzyme preparation was incubated with several alkyl esters of the phenylcarbamates and chlorophenylcarbamates. No chloroaniline was detected when the 3-(p-chlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea (monuron) was used as a substrate. The substrate specificity of the isolated enzyme suggests that it catalyzes the initial hydrolysis of many biologically active phenylcarbamates in soils.