Effect of farmyard manure and conjoint application of farmyard manure and microbial consortium on lindane residues in soil, drainage water, and crops in lysimeters

The efficacies of farmyard manure (FYM) application alone and the conjoint use of FYM and microbial consortiums (Gordonia sp.) were evaluated for reducing lindane residues in soil, plants and percolated water in lysimeters cropped with maize and rice. At the normal application rate of lindane (0.6 kg ha(-1)), the concentration of lindane residues in drainage water was well above the United States EPA limit for drinking water (0.2 mu gL(-1)); however, no detectable residues of lindane were observed in plant samples of both maize and rice crops. The residue level of lindane in the percolated water under rice was higher than under maize crop. Application of FYM at 5 t ha(-1) decreased the pesticide residues both in percolated water and soil. The conjoint use of FYM at 5 t ha(-1) and scheduled application of a microbial consortium of Gordonia sp. soon after the pest control was more effective than the application of FYM alone in reducing the level of lindane residues in soil and percolated water.