 The soil bacterium "Pseudomonas maltophilia" (strain DI-6) converts dicamba to 3,6-dichlorosalicylic acid (3,6-DCSA), which is adsorbed to soil much more strongly than is dicamba, but lacks herbicidal activity.Little information is available on the toxicity of this breakdown intermediate.The enzymes responsible for this first breakdown step is a three-component system called dicamba O-demethylase.