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Organic fertilizer mitigated the oxidative stress of tomato induced by nanoplastics through affecting rhizosphere soil microorganisms and bacteriophage functions
Summary
Researchers investigated whether organic fertilizer could protect tomato plants from the harmful effects of nanoplastics in soil. They found that organic fertilizer reduced oxidative stress in tomato stems by roughly 25-35% compared to chemical fertilizer, primarily by boosting beneficial soil bacteria and bacteriophage activity in the root zone. The study suggests that organic farming practices may help buffer crops against nanoplastic contamination in agricultural soils.
Nanoplastics (NPs), which are widely present in agricultural soils, are difficult to remove and are potentially harmful to plant growth and development. However, few studies have focused on how to mitigation the oxidative stress in plants induced by soil NPs exposure. Therefore, in this study, the effects of organic and chemical fertilizers on the oxidative stress of tomato under exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs) in soil were investigated. Compared with chemical fertilizer under exposure to PS-NPs, the organic fertilizer reduced the reactive oxygen species (ROS) content by 25.63 % and the HO content by 34.58 % in tomato stems, whereas no significant effects were observed with respect to the amount of PS-NP internalized in tomato. Additionally, organic fertilizer increased the accumulation of the phytohormones salicylic acid (SA) and abscisic acid (ABA) by 76.53 % and 22.54 %, respectively, and these factors are key for reducing the ROS and HO contents in stems. In the rhizosphere microbiome of organic fertilizer group under exposure to PS-NPs, enrichment in Actinomycetes and an increased abundance of terpenoids and polyketides metabolism were the main factors affecting the accumulation of ABA and SA. Moreover, bacteriophage activity in the rhizosphere indirectly contributed to the increase in this function. These changes ultimately resulted in a reduction in oxidative stress in tomato stems and protected tomato growth. The results of this study will provide a better understanding of the interaction between plants and nanoplastics in soil and provide a new reference for alleviating the oxidative stress caused by nanoplastics in plants.