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Alleviation of microplastic stress on Astragalus mongholicus by selenium-enriched microbial fertilizer
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This study found that polystyrene microplastics disrupt key metabolic pathways in the medicinal plant Astragalus mongholicus, interfering with energy production and protective compound synthesis. Applying a selenium-enriched microbial fertilizer at moderate doses helped restore normal plant metabolism and growth, offering a potential agricultural strategy to protect crops from microplastic contamination.
The impact of microplastic pollution on the ecological environment can no longer be ignored, especially the absorption process of microplastics by plants, which is becoming an important link in pollution transmission. At present, the governance of microplastic pollution has been gradually carried out. How to alleviate the impact of microplastics on the growth and development of plants will become the key breakthrough to prevent the spread of pollution and safeguard ecological security. In this study, the results of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) indicated that microplastics could interfere with the glycolysis pathway, citrate cycle and flavonoid biosynthesisz of Astragalus mongholicus. The Enterobacter sp.H1 strain was screened out in the laboratory to develop microbial fertilizer. Through setting up microplastic stress and gradient selenium-enriched microbial fertilizer (HJ) intervention experiments, combined with multi-index determination and metabolomics analysis, investigate the molecular mechanism of selenium antagonizing microplastic stress. The results indicated that the application of HJ could alleviate Polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) stress in a dose-dependent manner. The repair was limited at low concentrations, high concentrations might cause excessive activation of metabolic pathways, and moderate concentrations had better comprehensive regulation. It could improve the stress-resistant phenotype, restore primary metabolic homeostasis, promote the accumulation of stress-resistant substances, enhance osmotic regulation, and form a synergistic defense system.
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Selenium alleviates the adverse effects of microplastics on kale by regulating photosynthesis, redox homeostasis, secondary metabolism and hormones
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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.
Mitigation of microplastic toxicity in soybean by synthetic bacterial community and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi interaction: Altering carbohydrate metabolism, hormonal transduction, and genes associated with lipid and protein metabolism
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Researchers found that inoculating soybean plants with a combination of mycorrhizal fungi and beneficial bacteria helped protect them from microplastic-induced stress, improving biomass, seed quality, antioxidant defenses, and hormone balance. The study suggests that soil microbe communities could be harnessed as a sustainable strategy to help crops cope with growing microplastic contamination in agricultural soils.
Plant electrophysiological characteristics reveal the leaf intracellular nutrient metabolism and stress tolerance underlying Se(IV)-mediated alleviation of polyethylene stress in Plantago asiatica
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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.
Plant electrophysiological characteristics reveal the leaf intracellular nutrient metabolism and stress tolerance underlying Se(IV)-mediated alleviation of polyethylene stress in Plantago asiatica
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Microplastics are increasingly contaminating soil and stressing the plants we eat, but this study found that adding a small, precise amount of selenium (a trace mineral) to plants exposed to microplastics helped them stay healthier by improving how they absorb water and nutrients internally. Too much selenium didn't help further, showing that "more is better" isn't always true—getting the dose right matters. This research points toward a practical way farmers could use selenium supplements to help crops cope with microplastic pollution, potentially protecting the quality and safety of our food supply as plastic contamination becomes more widespread.
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.
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