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Is there any influence of microplastics in the soil on the qualitative characteristics of basil (Ocimum basilicum)?
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Microplastics in soil made basil plants less healthy, cutting their antioxidant power and vitamin C content by roughly a third, meaning the basil you eat could be less nutritious if it's grown in plastic-contaminated soil. The good news: adding a beneficial fungus (Trichoderma) to the soil helped protect the plants and preserved their nutrient levels, hinting at a possible way to counteract microplastic pollution in agriculture.
Basil ( Ocimum basilicum, Lamiaceae ) is a medicinal herb rich in polyphenols and bioactive compounds, valued for its wide range of uses in both humans and animals. The trial was conducted using Ocimum basilicum var. Violetto . Four treatments, each with four replications, were applied: a control (C) and three experimental groups (E1-E3), with the addition of 30 mg/kg of PVC microplastics (particle size 63-125 μm). In the E2 group, the fungus Trichoderma atroviride (spore concentration of 10 8 per 10 kg of substrate) was added to the substrate. In the E3 group, a mycelium of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum was added. The pots were kept in a growth chamber at 18-25°C (night-day regime) and 60% humidity, with a 10-14 h photoperiod, for four weeks. Basil leaves were collected to examine total antioxidant activity using the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay [ 1 ]. Vitamin C was quantified via its reaction with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) after oxidation with dehydroascorbic acid, forming a colored complex measured at 520 nm. Nematodes were isolated from the substrate using the Baermann funnel method, counted under a stereozoom magnifier, and then mass-fixed on microscope slides. Regarding antioxidant activity, plants from the C and E2 groups showed significantly higher (P<0.05) FRAP values (32.87 and 33.33 mmol FeSO 4 per 1 mg of fresh leaves, respectively) compared to the E1 and E3 groups (23.89 and 23.75 mmol FeSO 4 , respectively). In terms of vitamin C content, the C group (167.74 μg/g) had a significantly higher concentration (P<0.05) than the E1 (131.49 μg/g) and E3 (110.81 μg/g) groups. Nematode abundance per 50 g of substrate was as follows: C – 3197, E1 – 1264, E2 – 1008, and E3 – 828, with a 99% prevalence of the genus Eucephalobus in all groups. The initial results indicate that the presence of microplastics significantly reduces basil quality, while Trichoderma atroviride enhances the plant’s resistance [ 2 ]. Publication History Article published online: 05 March 2026 © 2026. Thieme. All rights reserved. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Oswald-Hesse-Straße 50, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany
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