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Straw return counteracted constraints caused by microplastics and enhanced soil multifunctionality by regulating microbial diversity and function
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Tiny plastic bits from farm plastics can harm soil health, weakening the microbes that help crops grow and absorb nutrients—which matters because that's the soil growing the food we eat. This study found that returning crop leftovers (like corn stalks) to the soil can largely reverse this damage by feeding beneficial microbes and restoring their function, offering a simple, low-cost way farmers could fight back against plastic pollution in our food supply.
Microplastic pollution threatens agricultural soil multifunctionality (SMF) by disturbing microbial communities and nutrient cycling. Straw return is widely used to improve soil quality, but whether it can offset the decline in SMF caused by microplastics (MPs) and which microbial pathways are involved remain unclear. We conducted a soybean pot experiment for 90 days with four treatments: control (CK), 2% polyethylene microplastics (PE), 1% corn straw (CS), and PE combined with corn straw (PC). Soil physicochemical properties, enzyme activities, microbial biomass, soybean growth and SMF were measured at the seedling, flowering, filling and harvesting stages, while microbial diversity, keystone taxa and predicted functions were analyzed at the flowering stage. PE significantly reduced enzyme activities, microbial biomass, soybean growth and SMF, and intensified microbial phosphorus limitation. Across the four stages, PE decreased SMF by 30.65% to 51.35% compared with CK (P < 0.05), whereas CS and PC increased SMF by 65.91% to 97.22% and 36.36% to 75.00%, respectively (P < 0.05). MPs constrained SMF by altering fungal diversity, keystone taxa and functions, and decreasing microbial biomass and extracellular enzyme production. These changes aggravated microbial phosphorus limitation, thereby impairing nutrient transformation and plant growth. In contrast, straw return supplied labile carbon and nutrients, stimulated microbial proliferation and enzyme synthesis, restored bacterial and fungal functional complementarity and relieved microbial resource limitation. Overall, straw return mitigated the reduction in SMF caused by MPs by rebuilding microbial diversity, function and resource acquisition efficiency, providing practical guidance and theoretical support for managing microplastic pollution in agricultural soils.
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Tiny plastic bits from farm plastics and packaging waste are building up in soil and can harm plant growth and helpful soil microbes. This study found that fertilizing crops can help offset that damage, which matters because healthier soil means safer, more reliable food, and less plastic potentially working its way into what we eat.
Synergistic fungal consortia enhance maize growth and soil biological functions under microplastic stress
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Microplastics from plastic pollution are building up in farm soils and, according to this study, can stunt corn growth by damaging plant cells and disrupting the soil's nutrient balance. The good news: adding a combo of two beneficial soil fungi helped plants better cope with this stress, boosting growth and restoring soil health. This matters because healthier soil and crops mean more reliable food production as microplastic pollution continues to spread in farmland worldwide.
Synergistic fungal consortia enhance maize growth and soil biological functions under microplastic stress
AI summary Read the abstract
Tiny plastic particles from bottles and packaging (called microplastics) are building up in farm soil and can stunt crop growth, damaging plants like corn at the cellular level. This study found that adding two natural, beneficial fungi to the soil together helped corn plants resist this plastic-induced stress much better than either fungus alone, offering a promising, low-tech way to protect crops—and ultimately our food supply—as microplastic pollution spreads through farmland.
Synergistic fungal consortia enhance maize growth and soil biological functions under microplastic stress
AI summary Read the abstract
Tiny plastic particles from packaging waste (microplastics) are building up in farm soil, and this study found they stunt corn plant growth, damage roots, and throw off the soil's natural balance—raising concerns about crop yields and food supply. The good news: researchers found that adding a combo of two beneficial fungi to the soil helped plants fight off this plastic-related stress, offering a natural, low-tech way to protect crops as microplastic pollution spreads through farmland. While this study focused on corn plants rather than direct human health effects, it points to a promising tool for keeping our food supply resilient in an increasingly plast
Straw Return Enhances Photooxidative Disintegration of Mulch Film and Microplastics Formation in Farmlands
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Farmers often till crop leftovers (like corn stalks) back into soil to improve fertility—but new research shows this common practice actually speeds up the breakdown of plastic mulch film into microplastics, thanks to chemicals released from the decomposing plant matter that react with sunlight. Beyond raising concerns about microplastics building up in farm soil (and potentially our food), the study found this contamination could cut corn yields by more than 5%, suggesting farmers may need to rethink how they combine these two widespread practices.
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