In this study, a direct detection system for triazine derivative herbicides was developed using the photosynthetic reaction center (RC) from the purple bacterium,Rhodobacter sphaeroides, and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) apparatus. The histidine-tagged RCs were immobilized on an SPR gold chip using nickel-nitrilotriacetic acid groups as a binder for one of the triazine herbicide, atrazine. The SPR responses were proportional to the sample concentrations of atrazine in the range 0.1–1 μg/mL. The sensitivity of the direct detection of atrazine using the RC-assembled sensor chip was higher than that using the antibody-immobilized chip. The other types of herbicides, DCMU or MCPP, were not detected with such high sensitivity. The results indicated the high binding selectivity of the RC complex.