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Combined Effects of Cadmium and Microplastics on the Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Plant-Soil System with the Partial Least Square Model: Phytotoxicity and Soil Properties
Summary
A pot experiment with wheat found that PVC microplastics suppressed plant growth, photosynthetic efficiency, and chlorophyll content while increasing soil enzyme activity, and that combined PVC-MP and cadmium stress compounded damage with stomatal conductance identified as the critical controlling factor. These results reveal that microplastic-contaminated agricultural soils can simultaneously impair crop productivity and alter heavy metal accumulation in staple food crops.
The study examines the toxicity of cadmium (Cd), microplastics (MPs) and their combined pollution on wheat plants, focusing on Cd accumulation and alterations to soil physical and chemical properties. To provide guidance for understanding the physiological and ecological responses of wheat to Cd and MPs contamination. Using a soil pot experiment, the individual and combined impacts of Cd (0 mg kg⁻¹ and 5 mg kg⁻¹) and polyvinyl chloride microplastics (PVC-MPs) (0%, 0.5%, 1.0%, and 5.0%) on various aspects of wheat growth were assessed. Partial least square (PLS) model was employed to analyze the quantitative relationship between wheat growth indicators and various physicochemical parameters. Results revealed that the PVC-MPs significantly suppressed wheat growth parameters, photosynthetic efficiency, and chlorophyll content. As the level of contamination increased, the damage to wheat chloroplasts became more severe, leaf thickness reduced, and canopy temperatures rose. Conversely, root morphology parameters and Cd accumulation in wheat plants exhibited a declining trend. Moreover, soil fertility indicators and the activities of soil urease, acid phosphatase and dehydrogenase increased in correlation with higher concentrations of PVC-MPs. The PLS model identified stomatal conductance as the critical controlling factor influencing wheat growth under the combined stress of PVC-MPs and Cd. Overall, co-occurring Cd and PVC-MPs can change wheat plant performance and soil traits. These findings provide crucial insights into the physiological and ecological impacts of Cd and microplastic co-pollution in wheat-soil systems.