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The essential oil of Ocimum basilicum at a dose of 1.5 mL/L completely inhibited the mycelial growth of 22 species of fungi, including the mycotoxin-producing strains of Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. It also proved to repel the insect Allacophora foveicollis. The toxic dose of the oil against the test fungi was much lower than that of some commercial fungicides and fumigants, and it remains unaffected by temperature treatment, storage, and increased inoculum.

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A Sphingobium sp. strain isolated from radioactive solid waste management site (RSMS) completely degraded 7.98 g/L of tributyl phosphate (TBP) from TBP containing suspensions in 3 days. It also completely degraded 20 mM dibutyl phosphate (DBP) within 2 days. The strain tolerated high levels of TBP and showed excellent stability with respect to TBP degradation over several repeated subcultures. On solid minimal media or Luria Bertani media supplemented with TBP, the RSMS strain showed a clear zone of TBP degradation around the colony. Gas chromatography and spectrophotometry analyses identified DBP as the intermediate and butanol and phosphate as the products of TBP biodegradation. The RSMS strain utilized both TBP and DBP as the sole source of carbon and phosphorous for its growth. The butanol released was completely utilized by the strain as a carbon source thereby leaving no toxic residue in the medium. Degradation of TBP or DBP was found to be suppressed by high concentration of glucose which also inhibited TBP or DBP dependent growth. The results highlight the potential of Sphingobium sp. strain RSMS for bioremediation of TBP and for further molecular investigation.

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