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Selenium-driven trophic restructuring of soil nematode communities and biochemical regulation alleviate the toxicity caused by microplastic pollution in highland barley
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Researchers investigated whether selenium supplementation could counteract the harmful effects of polyethylene microplastics on highland barley and soil nematode communities. They found that microplastics significantly reduced plant growth metrics and disrupted nematode populations, but selenium application helped restore chlorophyll content, root development, and beneficial soil organism diversity. The study suggests that selenium may serve as a practical tool for mitigating microplastic-induced damage in agricultural soils.
Microplastic (MP) pollution is an emerging threat to soil health and ecosystem services. The harmful effects of the emerging pollutant MP on soil nematodes and plants have been widely studied; however, there is limited research on how to mitigate the damage caused by MP. Previous studies have shown that selenium (Se) plays a significant role in alleviating various stresses; its role in alleviating microplastic impacts remains unexplored. This study aims to investigate the effects of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) MPs and exogenous Se potential on barley plants and soil nematode communities. MP treatment reduced total chlorophyll content, plant height, shoot fresh weight, and root fresh weight by 57.9 %, 14.8 %, 23.1 %, and 35.7 % respectively, compared with the control. Under MP, Nematode abundance and genus richness also declined by 66.3 % and 46.7 %, respectively. Se supply of 10 mg kg partially restored nematode communities, shoot and root biomass by 33.5 % and 26.2 % under MP stress, and advanced spike emergence by ∼14 days. Se supply suppressed Abscisic acid, hydrogen peroxide, and Malondialdehyde levels, alleviating stress signaling, increasing cis-zeatin and Jasmonic acid by 236.6 % and 171.7 % respectively. In parallel, soil enzymes, including urease, dehydrogenase, and alkaline phosphatase, were significantly improved. Notably, bacterivorous nematodes dominated under low Se, whereas high Se (50 mg kg) shifted the community toward herbivores. Overall, low Se significantly alleviated MP-induced damage. Our findings offer novel insights into the stress-alleviating potential of Se in microplastic-polluted soils, thereby improving agroecosystem functioning and soil health.
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Researchers found that treating soil with selenium could protect kale plants from the harmful effects of microplastic contamination. Microplastics triggered damaging oxidative stress in the plants, but selenium helped restore the balance by boosting antioxidant defenses, improving photosynthesis, and regulating plant hormones. This suggests selenium supplementation could help maintain food crop health in microplastic-contaminated agricultural soils.
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Microplastics are increasingly contaminating soil and can stress plants, potentially affecting the food we grow. This study found that adding a small, precise amount of selenium to soil helped plantain plants cope with microplastic pollution by improving how their leaves absorbed water and nutrients — but too much selenium backfired and stopped helping. The takeaway: selenium could be a useful tool for protecting crops from microplastic contamination, but getting the dose right matters, which is good news for keeping our food supply healthier as plastic pollution grows.
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Researchers found that polypropylene microplastics altered soil nematode community composition in a concentration-dependent manner, reducing bacterivore abundance and shifting the soil food web structure, indicating disrupted soil ecological functioning in agricultural settings.
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