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Polyethylene microplastics alter root functionality and affect strawberry plant physiology and fruit quality traits
Summary
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.
Strawberry, a globally popular crop whose fruit are known for their taste and health benefits, were used to evaluate the effects of polyethylene microplastics (PE-MPs) on plant physiology and fruit quality. Plants were grown in 2-L pots with natural soil mixed with PE-MPs at two concentrations (0.2% and 0.02%; w/w) and sizes (⌀ 35 and 125 µm). Plant physiological responses, root histochemical and anatomical analyses as well as fruit biometric and quality features were conducted. Plants subjected to ⌀ 35 µm/0.2% PE-MPs exhibited the most severe effects in terms of CO assimilation due to stomatal limitations, along with the highest level of oxidative stress in roots. Though no differences were observed in plant biomass, the impact on fruit quality traits was severe in ⌀ 35 µm/0.2% MPs treatment resulting in a drop in fruit weight (-42%), soluble solid (-10%) and anthocyanin contents (-25%). The smallest sized PE-MPs, adsorbed on the root surface, impaired plant water status by damaging the radical apparatus, which finally resulted in alteration of plant physiology and fruit quality. Further research is required to determine if these alterations also occur with other MPs and to understand more deeply the MPs influence on fruit physio-chemistry.
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