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From the rhizosphere to plant fitness: Implications of microplastics soil pollution
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Researchers exposed strawberry plants to low-density polyethylene microplastics in soil and found significant harm, including reduced chlorophyll levels, altered nutrient uptake, and increased stress responses. The microplastics also shifted the soil microbiome toward potentially harmful fungi and bacteria. These findings show that microplastics in agricultural soil can damage crop health and change the microbial community that plants depend on.
Microplastics (MPs) are a widespread contaminant in the terrestrial environment, with potential impacts on the soil-plant system not yet well understood. This study explores the effects of oxidised low-density polyethylene-MPs (LDPE-MPs) on the rhizosphere ecology and plant fitness of Fragaria x ananassa (Duchesne ex Weston) Duchesne ex Rozier. The rhizospheric microbial community was investigated under the influence of 0,5% LDPE-MPs by internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and 16 S rRNA metagenomic analysis; photosynthetic parameters, antioxidant enzyme activities, and nutrient accumulation were assessed to evaluate plant physiological and biochemical status. Genes related to jasmonic acid (JA), ethylene biosynthesis, and nitrate signalling pathways were analysed to define the plant molecular response. Our results showed a shift in the rhizosphere microbial community. We identified MPs molecular biomarkers in the contaminated rhizosphere (Fusarium, Thanatephorus and Pseudallescheria) with potential pathogenic functions and two novel molecular biomarkers (Ohtaekwangia and Ascobolus). MPs pollution negatively impacts plant fitness, which showed decreased chlorophyll a and b (40 and 48%, respectively), a change in nutrient content (fluctuations between 14,42 and 26,7%) at the leaf level and increased activity of antioxidant enzymes. Gene expression related to JA, ethylene biosynthesis, and nitrogen signalling pathways is enhanced in plants grown in contaminated soil, as well as the root endophytic and epiphytic microorganism interactions. Our results demonstrate that MPs pollution influences the rhizosphere microbial community and functions, and consequently, negatively impacts plant health.
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Polyethylene microplastics alter root functionality and affect strawberry plant physiology and fruit quality traits
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Strawberry plants grown in soil with small polyethylene microplastics (35 micrometers) produced fruit that weighed 42% less and had lower sugar and antioxidant content. The tiny plastic particles stuck to roots and disrupted the plant's water uptake, leading to reduced photosynthesis and increased root stress. These findings raise concerns about how microplastic contamination in agricultural soil could affect the quality and nutritional value of the food we eat.
Microplastics Can Change Soil Properties and Affect Plant Performance
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Researchers tested six different types of microplastics in soil and found that they altered key soil properties including water-holding capacity, bulk density, and microbial activity. These changes in soil structure had cascading effects on plant growth, with some microplastic types reducing above-ground biomass. The study demonstrates that microplastics can fundamentally change how soil functions, with consequences for plant health and ecosystem stability.
Potential impacts of polyethylene microplastics and heavy metals on Bidens pilosa L. growth: Shifts in root-associated endophyte microbial communities
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Researchers found that polyethylene microplastics in soil contaminated with heavy metals significantly stunted plant growth, reducing root length by nearly 49% and increasing harmful reactive oxygen species in plant tissues. The microplastics also shifted the soil's microbial communities toward stress-resistant species, demonstrating how plastic pollution can disrupt the soil ecosystem that supports our food supply.
Micro and nanoplastic pollution in agricultural soils: effects on rhizosphere processes and phytotoxicity
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Tiny plastic particles are building up in farm soil, even more than in the ocean, and this review of existing research shows they can disrupt the delicate root zone where plants absorb nutrients and interact with helpful microbes. This disruption can stunt plant growth and potentially affect crop quality, meaning the food we eat could be another route by which plastic pollution reaches our bodies. More research is still needed to fully understand how these plastics harm plants, but the findings signal that fixing plastic waste management in farming is an urgent priority.
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Researchers investigated how polyethylene microplastics from agricultural films affect the microbial communities in crop root zones (rhizosphere), finding shifts in bacterial diversity and function. Disrupting soil microbiomes through microplastic contamination could have downstream effects on soil fertility and crop health.
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