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The effect of conventional and biodegradable microplastics from agricultural mulching films in soil on the growth and biochemical parameters of sunflower
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Scientists buried plastic mulch films (both regular plastic and "biodegradable" plastic) in soil for up to nine months, then grew sunflowers in it to see if the breakdown particles would harm the plants. The good news: sunflowers grew normally overall, though their roots showed some mild stress signals like changes in water and sugar content, suggesting these plastics aren't harmless, but the effects were subtle rather than damaging. This matters because mulch films are widely used in farming, and understanding how their leftover plastic bits affect crops is an early step in figuring out whether microplastics in our food-growing soil could eventually
Namen magistrske naloge je bil preučiti vpliv dolgotrajne prisotnosti konvencionalne polietilenske folije (folije PE) in biorazgradljive folije poli(butilen adipat-ko-tereftalatne) (folije PBAT) za zastiranje tal na rast, fiziološko stanje in biokemijske odzive sončnice (Helianthus annuus L.). V raziskavo so bila vključena tla brez dodane folije ter tla, v katera je bila za 32 in 276 dni zakopana folija PE oziroma folija PBAT. Sončnice smo osem tednov gojili v rastni komori, nato pa določili rastne parametre, vsebnost vode, učinkovitost fotosistema II, transpiracijo ter izbrane biokemijske kazalce stresa in antioksidativnega odziva. Rezultati so pokazali, da prisotnost folij za zastiranje v tleh ni povzročila zmanjšanja rasti ali trajnejših motenj fotosintetskega aparata. Statistično značilne razlike so bile ugotovljene pri nekaterih parametrih biomase, vsebnosti vode v koreninah, vsebnosti vodikovega peroksida (H₂O₂) v koreninah in poganjkih ter vsebnosti topnih sladkorjev v koreninah. Vpliv folij je bil najbolj izrazit v koreninskem sistemu, kjer so bile ugotovljene statistično značilne razlike v vsebnosti vode, topnih sladkorjev in vsebnosti H₂O₂. Nasprotno pri večini parametrov fotosintezne aktivnosti, antioksidativnega potenciala, prolina in malondialdehida (MDA) značilnih razlik med obravnavami nismo določili. Rezultati kažejo, da dolgotrajna prisotnost folij PE in folij PBAT za zastiranje tal povzroča predvsem blage in časovno pogojene spremembe v fiziologiji in presnovi sončnice, ki so izrazitejše v koreninah kot v nadzemnih delih rastlin.
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White clover growth responses to soil microplastics derived from conventional and biodegradable agricultural mulch films
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Scientists tested how white clover plants grow in soil mixed with tiny plastic bits from farm mulch films—both regular plastic and "biodegradable" plastic—to see if either type harms crops. This matters because clover and similar plants are widely used to naturally fertilize farm soil, and if microplastics disrupt plant health or their partnership with soil bacteria, it could affect food production and soil quality that our agriculture depends on. Notably, the study suggests biodegradable plastics aren't automatically a safe swap, since they can leave microplastic residue too.
Microplastics from biodegradable plastic bags alter soil properties and trigger stress response in sunflowers
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Researchers compared the effects of microplastics milled from home-compostable and industrial-compostable PBAT plastic bags versus conventional polyethylene bags on sunflower growth and soil properties. All three types of microplastics altered soil characteristics and triggered stress responses in sunflowers, with the biodegradable variants causing harm comparable to conventional plastic.
Biodegradable Microplastics from Agricultural Mulch Films: Implications for Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria and Plant’s Oxidative Stress
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This study tested how microplastics from biodegradable agricultural mulch films affect beneficial soil bacteria and plant growth. The biodegradable microplastics inhibited most helpful bacteria and caused oxidative stress in plants, reducing their growth. However, some bacteria showed tolerance to the microplastics and helped protect plants from the damage, suggesting that biodegradable plastics are not harmless to soil ecosystems as often assumed.
Microplastics in agroecosystem – effects of plastic mulch film residues on soil-plant system
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This review examines how residues from both conventional polyethylene and biodegradable plastic mulch films accumulate in agricultural soils and affect plant growth and soil health. Both types of mulch film residues are found to have negative effects on the soil-plant system, raising questions about the environmental safety of biodegradable plastic alternatives.
Comparing the impact of microplastics derived from a biodegradable and a conventional plastic mulch on plant performance
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Researchers directly compared how microplastics from biodegradable and conventional plastic mulch films affect plant growth and found that biodegradable plastic particles actually reduced plant biomass more than conventional plastic particles in some cases. This challenges the assumption that biodegradable plastics are always safer for agriculture, since their breakdown products may still harm crops that end up in the human food supply.
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