Generally, the presence of microbes affects the microbial degradation potential of herbicide. How could flooding conditions affect the microbial population? Please cite references and thank you in advance.
My dear friend a floode paddy field is having anaerobic conditions and I think you are looking for aerobic microbes there. Yes, the only aerobe that you may find will be Azotobacter spp (it all depends). You will get organisms capable of using Hydrogen as an energy source and convert carbon dioxide to methane (small quantity) and other organic compounds. Herbicide degraders are usually aerobic and naturally they may be present in very low numbers.
The no. of the aerobic microorganisms inhabiting in any soil is far greater that those of anaerobic microorganisms. Under anoxic environment (flooded condition), the activities of the aerobic microorganisms get reduced in the absence of molecular oxygen thereby, declining the overall microbial activities. See the below papers for further help.
The absence of oxygen under the flooded condition will not allow the presence of aerobic
soil bacteria such as pseudosomonas ,nitrosomonas, and nitrobacter which are important in nitrogen cycle by converting organic N to nitrite and nitrate nitrogen but under flooded condition Rhidospirilus bacteria willconvert nitrate nitrogen in elemental N and escapes into the air besides, the anaerobic organisms will produce more sulphur, methane,gases which constitute green house gases that causes depletion of ozone layer and the subsequent effect on climate