Conclusion
Organochlorinated pesticides other than DDTs, HCHs and HCB
have never been used in large quantities in the Czech Republic.
Thus our studies were oriented towards these three pesticides.
Previous results [19] indicate that pesticide residues persist in
the top layer of soils even 20 years after they were banned.
Biodegradation of these pesticide residues can proceed in soil,
albeit at a slow rate. To enhance degradation in situ several strategies
have been proposed. They include the addition of DDTmetabolising
microbes to contaminated soils and/or the manipulation
of environmental conditions to enhance the activity of
these microbes [20,21]. Isolated strains from long term contaminated
soil are potential tools for in situ remediation processes
(bioaugmentation) at contaminated sites.