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Beneficial microbial consortia effectively alleviated plant stress caused by the synergistic toxicity of microplastics and cadmium
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Researchers found that combined pollution from microplastics (PVC) and the heavy metal cadmium creates a toxic effect in soil that is worse than either pollutant alone. However, applying beneficial bacteria to contaminated soil helped plants grow better and restored soil nutrients. These findings suggest that probiotic-like bacteria could help repair farmland damaged by microplastic and heavy metal pollution.
Combined pollution from microplastics and heavy metals has garnered research interest because of the potential for complex interactions between these contaminants. Composite functional bacteria present significant benefits in the bioremediation of contaminated soils and have attracted widespread attention. Researchers have yet to elucidate how effectively plant growth-promoting bacterial (PGPB) consortia mitigate the stress induced by combined pollution from microplastics and heavy metals. Pot experiments indicate that combined polyvinyl chloride (PVC) + cadmium (Cd) pollution results in "synergistic toxicity" relative to Cd or PVC pollution alone. The application of PGPB consortia inoculants is more effective than the use of single strains in alleviating stress caused by PVC + Cd pollution. The combined inoculant increased bioenergy plant sorghum growth and biomass and increased the contents of total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total potassium, available potassium, and available phosphorus in the soil. Under combined PVC + Cd pollution conditions, PGPB inoculation affected the composition of the sorghum rhizosphere bacterial community. Cooccurrence network analysis revealed that the PGPB consortia can alter soil bacterial community diversity and increase the stability of soil bacterial communities. PGPB consortia can alter the composition of soil metabolites and impact various metabolic pathways. These changes increase the ability of sorghum plants to respond to PVC + Cd stress. This study revealed that the use of combined PGPB affects the soil inorganic nutrient content and the functional composition of bacterial communities, effectively alleviating stress caused by combined microplastic and heavy metal pollution. These findings provide technical support for the development of bioremediation strategies tailored to address combined microplastic and heavy metal pollution. • PGPB consortia can more effectively alleviate synergistic toxicity. • PGPB consortia improve soil mineral content. • PGPB consortia change the composition of rhizosphere bacterial communities. • PGPB consortia alter rhizobacterial interactions. • PGPB consortia alter rhizospheric metabolic functions.
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Plant growth-promoting bacteria modulate gene expression and induce antioxidant tolerance to alleviate synergistic toxicity from combined microplastic and Cd pollution in sorghum
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Scientists found that a beneficial soil bacterium (Bacillus sp. SL-413) can help protect sorghum plants from the combined toxic effects of microplastics and cadmium, a heavy metal. The bacterium boosted plant growth, reduced harmful reactive oxygen species by up to 27%, and reactivated genes that the pollution had shut down. This research points to a nature-based solution for helping food crops survive in microplastic-contaminated soil.
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.
Rhizosphere microbiome metagenomics in PGPR-mediated alleviation of combined stress from polypropylene microplastics and Cd in hybrid Pennisetum
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Researchers found that beneficial soil bacteria (PGPR) can help plants cope with the combined stress of polypropylene microplastics and the toxic heavy metal cadmium. The bacteria improved plant growth by 8-42% under contaminated conditions by reshaping the microbial community around plant roots. This study offers a potential strategy for maintaining crop productivity in farmland contaminated with both microplastics and heavy metals.
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.
Plant growth-promoting bacteria improve the Cd phytoremediation efficiency of soils contaminated with PE–Cd complex pollution by influencing the rhizosphere microbiome of sorghum
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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.
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