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A new quantitative insight: Interaction of polyethylene microplastics with soil - microbiome - crop
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Researchers developed a new method to track and measure how polyethylene microplastics move through soil and into crops, and for the first time demonstrated that micron-sized particles can accumulate in plant tissues, with the highest concentrations found in roots. Weathered microplastics significantly reduced soil nutrients and inhibited plant growth in maize, while fresh microplastics had different effects on soil chemistry. The findings suggest that aging microplastics in agricultural soil may pose a greater risk to crop productivity than previously understood.
In this study, the interaction between primary/secondary PE MPs and soil - microbiome - crop complex system and PE MPs enrichment behavior in crops were studied by using the self-developed quantitative characterization method of Eu-MPs and in situ zymography. The results demonstrated for the first time the enrichment effect of micron-sized PE (> 10 µm) in crops, manifested as roots>leaves>stems. Primary PE MPs significantly increased soil TN, TC, SOM and β-glu activity and inhibited Phos activity. Age-PE MPs significantly reduced soil TN, TP, β-glu and Phos activities and also have significant inhibitory effects on plant height, stem diameter, and leaf dry weight of maize. Age-PE MPs significantly affected soil microbial diversity, mainly caused by bacterial genera such as UTCFX1, Sphingomonas, Subgroup-6 and Gemmatimonas. Age-PE MPs also affected some metabolism related to microbial community composition and maize growth, including Glycerolipid, Citrate cycle (TCA cycle), C5-Branched dibasic acid, Arginine and proline, Tyrosine metabolism, pentose phosphate pathway, Valine, leucine and isoleucine biosynthesis. These research results indicated that the PE MPs, which are widely present in farmland soils, can affect crop growth, soil microbial community and metabolic function after aging, thus affecting agroecosystems and terrestrial biodiversity.
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