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Enhancing spinach growth and soil microbial health under sulfadiazine and polypropylene exposure through zinc fortification
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Researchers found that zinc oxide nanoparticles can effectively reduce the toxic effects of antibiotics and polypropylene microplastics on spinach plants grown in contaminated soil. The zinc treatment lowered oxidative stress markers by 18-28% while boosting the activity of protective enzymes in roots and shoots. The study suggests that zinc supplementation could be a practical strategy for improving crop health in soils polluted with microplastics and pharmaceutical residues.
Antibiotics and microplastics have gained significant global attention due to their adverse impacts on ecosystems. Microplastics (MPs) can enter the soil through various pathways, altering the soil and plants physicochemical properties. This study demonstrates that ZnO nanoparticles (200 mg L −1 ) effectively alleviate sulfadiazine (SDZ 10, 25 mg Kg −1 ) and polypropylene (PP 150, 200 mg Kg −1 ) toxicity by enhancing nutrient uptake and promoting spinach growth. ZnO NPs reduced the malondialdehyde levels by 21 % and 22 %, hydrogen peroxide 27 % and 23 %, and electrolyte leakage 28 % and 18 % while increasing superoxide dismutase 25 % and 15 %, peroxidase 22 % and 19 %, catalase 17 % and 18 %, and ascorbate peroxidase 12 % and 17 % in roots and shoots respectively, compared to the control. Similarly, ZnO NPs increased Zn 20 % and 32 %, Fe 43 % and 42 %, Mg 28 % and 22 %, Mn 33 % and 32 %, and K 41 % and 25 % in roots and shoots respectively under combined SDZ+PP stress. Additionally, a low dose of SDZ stress impacts soil microbial diversity, community composition, and metabolic function more severely than a high dose. Furthermore, the combined SDZ and PP stress with ZnO application significantly positively affected soil microbial diversity, community composition, and metabolic functions. • SDZ and PP co-toxicity significantly declined the growth by producing ROS species. • ZnO NPs regulated the defense system by increasing nutrient uptake and boosting growth. • Lower SDZ significantly altered alpha diversity compared to higher SDZ. • SDZ and PS prominently altered the alpha and beta diversity compared to their combination. • ZnO NPs significantly boosted microbial growth under alone and combined SDZ and PS stress.
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Researchers applied zinc oxide nanoparticles to rye plants exposed to PVC microplastics and mercury in soil, finding that ZnO-NPs mitigated some of the toxic effects by improving nutrient uptake and reducing oxidative stress. The study suggests nanoparticle-based approaches may help protect crops in microplastic- and heavy metal-contaminated soils.
Dual regulation of pakchoi–soil systems by zinc oxide nanoparticles under polyethylene microplastics stress: Dose-dependent effects, microbial cascades, and risk propagation
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Researchers studied how zinc oxide nanoparticles at different doses regulate the pakchoi-soil-microbe system under polyethylene microplastic stress, finding dose-dependent effects on plant antioxidant responses, nutrient uptake, and soil bacterial communities that reflect complex, interacting contamination risks.
Zinc ions enhance tolerance to nanoplastics stress in rice seedlings: Advancing the development and optimization of traditional zinc fertilizers
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Researchers tested whether traditional zinc sulfate fertilizer could help rice seedlings tolerate polystyrene microplastic stress, as an alternative to zinc oxide nanoparticles which carry their own environmental risks. They found that appropriate zinc levels reduced oxidative damage through different mechanisms in shoots versus roots, restoring photosynthesis and development. The findings offer a practical, lower-risk strategy for protecting crops from microplastic contamination in agricultural soils.
Role of zinc oxide nanoparticles on phytostabilization efficacy of Raphanus sativus for cadmium polluted soil under microplastic stress
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Soil contaminated with both cadmium (a toxic heavy metal) and microplastics stunts radish growth and makes plants more stressed — a real concern since we eat these crops. Researchers found that treating radish seeds with zinc oxide nanoparticles helped the plants grow better and absorb less cadmium into their tissues, even under this combined pollution. This suggests a simple seed treatment could one day help farmers grow safer, healthier produce in polluted soils, though more research is needed before it's used widely.
Metallic micronutrients mitigate herbicide–microplastic stress on soil microbial functions in cornfields
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Herbicides and microplastics in farm soil team up to weaken helpful soil microbes that keep nutrient cycles running, which matters because healthy soil microbes support the fertility needed to grow our food, including corn. The good news: this study found that adding zinc, a common micronutrient, can help protect these microbes from the combined damage, offering a simple, practical way to keep farmland soil healthier as microplastic pollution continues to rise.
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