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Combined microplastic and cadmium pollution reshapes plastisphere–rhizosphere bacterial microbiomes and regulates the growth of sorghum plants for bioenergy
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Microplastics and toxic heavy metals like cadmium often pollute farmland together, and this study found that this combo stunts the growth of sorghum (a crop used for biofuel) more than either pollutant alone, especially when the plastic type is PVC. The silver lining: certain soil bacteria adapted to this pollution by evolving ways to break down plastic and resist heavy metals, and these bacteria actually helped the plants grow better despite the contamination, hinting at a possible future strategy for cleaning up polluted soil using plants and microbes together.
The dual contamination of soil–bioenergy plant systems by heavy metals (HMs) and microplastics (MPs) is becoming increasingly severe. However, the microbial selection patterns under this dual pressure remain unclear. In this study, the effects of combined contamination by cadmium (Cd) and microplastics (polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC)) at environmentally relevant concentrations (1% MPs and 10 mg·kg −1 Cd) were investigated. The effects on the growth of the bioenergy plant sorghum and on the bacterial communities in both the soil and the plastisphere were examined. The results revealed that combined microplastic-heavy metal (MP-HM) contamination had a more significant inhibitory effect on bioenergy plant growth, with PVC-Cd resulting in stronger inhibition than PET-Cd. Metagenomic sequencing and network analysis revealed that the combined MPs-HM contamination significantly reshaped the bacterial microbiome community structure, with distinct differences between plastisphere microorganisms and rhizosphere soil microorganisms. Compared with the PVC plastisphere, the PET plastisphere exhibited greater microbial diversity and a more complex interaction network, highlighting the differences in ecological niche selection pressure between plastic types. Various metal resistance genes (MRGs) and microplastic degradation genes (MDGs) were detected in both the rhizosphere soil and the plastisphere, with higher abundances in the plastisphere than in the rhizosphere soil. Under dual stress from microplastics and heavy metals, a series of bacterial genera, including Bradyrhizobium , Rhizobium , Sphingomicrobium , Ramlibacter , and Hydrogenophaga , enriched in both the rhizosphere soil and plastisphere, carried abundant MRGs (e.g., tupC and fbpC ) and MDGs (e.g., ACADM and paaG ), which were significantly positively correlated with the same mobile genetic elements (MGEs), such as transposase, integrase, and recombinase. Structural equation modeling (SEM) indicated that the synergy between core microorganisms, MDGs, and MRGs significantly promoted sorghum biomass. This study provides correlational evidence for the potential coselection of MRGs and MDGs within a specific system of energy sorghum–farmland soil–two types of microplastics (PET and PVC) under combined Cd‑MP stress. We acknowledge that this inference is based on correlation analyses and has not been experimentally verified. These results not only deepen our understanding of the ecological effects of MP-HM combined pollution but also provide an important theoretical basis for bioenergy plant remediation technologies targeting MP-HM composite contamination.
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Effects of combined microplastic and cadmium pollution on sorghum growth, Cd accumulation, and rhizosphere microbial functions
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Researchers examined how different types and sizes of microplastics interact with cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, to affect sorghum growth and soil microbes. They found that the combined pollution generally increased plant stress and cadmium uptake, with effects varying by plastic type, particle size, and concentration. The study also revealed that the pollution mixture significantly altered soil bacterial communities and key metabolic pathways involved in nutrient cycling.
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Researchers found that adding beneficial bacteria to soil contaminated with both polyethylene microplastics and the toxic metal cadmium helped sorghum plants grow larger and absorb more cadmium from the soil, improving cleanup potential. This approach matters for food safety because using plants and bacteria to remove combined microplastic-heavy metal pollution from farmland could reduce the amount of these contaminants that enter the food supply.
Screening of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria helps alleviate the joint toxicity of PVC+Cd pollution in sorghum plants
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Researchers isolated soil bacteria that promote plant growth and showed they can partially offset the combined toxicity of PVC microplastics and cadmium in sorghum, restoring soil nutrient availability and shifting rhizosphere bacterial communities in ways that support nitrogen and phosphorus cycling.
Ecotoxicological effects of microplastic types and concentrations in combination with Cd on the bioenergy plant sweet sorghum: Growth and rhizosphere microbiome analysis
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Researchers tested sweet sorghum plants grown in soil polluted with cadmium and three types of microplastics (PVC, PE, PP) at different levels. The combined pollution reduced plant growth, lowered soil nutrients, and changed soil bacteria and genes involved in nitrogen and phosphorus cycling, with effects depending on microplastic type and amount.
Responses of Sorghum Growth and Rhizosphere–Plastisphere Microbiomes to Cadmium and Polypropylene Microplastic Co-Contamination
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Researchers examined how combined cadmium and polypropylene microplastic contamination affects sorghum growth and the bacterial communities in both rhizosphere soil and on the plastic surfaces. They found that co-contamination inhibited sorghum development more severely than either pollutant alone, and the bacterial community on the plastic surface was structurally simpler with lower diversity than in surrounding soil. The study suggests that microplastics in contaminated soils can serve as distinct microbial habitats that differ significantly from the native soil environment.
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