Different effects of polyethylene microplastics on bioaccumulation of three fungicides in maize (Zea mays L.)

Despite the ubiquity of microplastics (MPs) and pesticides in agricultural soils, the effects of MPs on the behavior and bioavailability of pesticides in soil-plant systems remain largely unknown. This study comparatively investigated the adsorption and dissipation of three commonly used fungicides (metalaxyl, azoxystrobin and tebuconazole) in soil as well as their accumulation and distribution in maize Zea mays L. with and without the amendment of polyethylene MPs (PE-MPs). The results showed that the adsorption of the fungicides to both MPs and soil was strongly dependent on their octanol/water partition coefficients (logKow). The addition of 5% PE-MPs significantly increased the adsorption of the hydrophobic fungicides azoxystrobin and tebuconazole to soil due to their greater adsorption affinity to PE-MPs than to soil, while the effect was negligible in the case of the hydrophilic fungicide metalaxyl. The enhanced adsorption of azoxystrobin and tebuconazole to soil with the amendment of PE-MPs decreased their bioavailable fractions in soil, especially the concentration in in situ pore water, resulting in prolonged persistence in soil and reduced accumulation in maize plants. PE-MPs caused a greater reduction in the dissipation and bioaccumulation of tebuconazole than azoxystrobin, presumably because PE-MPs were more effective in promoting the adsorption of tebuconazole (with a higher logKow) in soil. Comparatively, PE-MPs had little effect on the dissipation and bioaccumulation of metalaxyl since its bioavailability was almost unaffected. Our work provides effective information for the risk assessment of co-contamination of MPs and pesticides.