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A standardized soil-based biotest to investigate the phytoavailability of nanoplastics
Summary
Researchers evaluated the RHIZOtest, a standardized soil-plant exposure system, for studying nanoplastic uptake by plants. Using tomato plants exposed to model nanoplastics in artificial soil, they demonstrated that the method could reliably measure nanoplastic bioavailability and accumulation. The study provides a validated high-throughput testing platform for assessing how nanoplastics move from contaminated soils into food crops.
Standardized methods are essential for generating reliable and reproducible data to support risk assessment and decision-making related to soil contamination by environmental pollutants, including nanoplastics (NPs). This study evaluated the ability of the RHIZOtest method, a standardized soil-plant exposure system, in providing a high-throughput testing platform for investigating NP phytoavailability. As a proof of concept, tomato plants were exposed to artificial soil spiked with model NPs at concentrations of 400 and 4000 mg kg-1 dm. Palladium (Pd)-doped polystyrene particles (PS-P) (a Z-average diameter of 210 nm, a surface charge zeta potential of -45.20 ± 032 mV, a polydispersity index of 0.1, and a Pd doping ratio of 0.295% w/w Pd to PS-P) were used as surrogates for NPs. Pd content was measured as a proxy for quantifying PS-P uptake. After eight days of exposure, Pd was detected in both the roots and shoots of plants grown on both spiked soils, confirming PS-P uptake and translocation. On average, 5 ± 1% of the spiked PS-P were taken up by the plants across spiking levels. Root concentration factors varied slightly between the lower and higher levels (31 ± 2% and 24 ± 3%, respectively), while translocation factors remained similar (∼25%). Root biomass was significantly reduced compared to controls, suggesting possible concentration-dependent PS-P rhizotoxicity. Notably, the limited variability in concentration values measured in roots (±11%) and shoots (±23%), along with near-complete mass balance recovery (97-100%), demonstrated the reliability of the RHIZOtest in accurately and consistently quantifying NP uptake while accounting for rhizosphere processes.
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