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Phenotypic and transcriptomic shifts in roots and leaves of rice under the joint stress from microplastic and arsenic
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This study examined how rice plants respond when exposed to both microplastics and heavy metal cadmium at the same time. Researchers found that the combination caused distinct changes in root and leaf gene expression and growth patterns compared to either pollutant alone. The findings suggest that microplastics may alter how plants take up and respond to heavy metals, potentially affecting crop safety.
Co-contamination of soil from microplastics (MP) and arsenic (As) is becoming more prevalent, posing a severe threat to agricultural productivity. However, how this joint pollution affects crop growth needs to be better understood. To assess this, we investigated the transcriptomic and phenotypic patterns of rice (Oryza sativa) to MP, As, and their mixtures. The results revealed that, compared to As, MP had much less impact on rice growth, while the MP-As mixture decreased rice's aboveground biomass and altered As's biodistribution in rice tissues. Transcriptome further corroborated this pattern: 13 (294), 4195 (1842), and 3112 (2063) genes differentially regulated in response to MP, As, and their mixtures were observed in root (leaf) tissues, respectively. The joint application of MP and As produced a synergistic effect on crucial metabolic processes, such as carbohydrate, carboxylic acid, oxoacid, organic acid, amino acid, and tetrapyrrole metabolism. Moreover, we found that the joint stress reprogrammed the expression of hub genes encoding photosynthetic enzymes, protein kinases, and transcription factors, which likely reflect a transcript-driven tradeoff strategy between rice growth and defense. Together, these results strongly indicate that MP aggravated the As-induced toxicity in rice plants, which may impact the crop's acclimation to other abiotic field environments.
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Scientists found that microplastics in soil don't just add their own contamination risk to crops like rice, they can actually change how toxic heavy metals like lead and cadmium affect the plant, making cadmium's harm milder but making lead's harm worse. This matters because farmland is increasingly exposed to both microplastics and heavy metal pollution together, and this study suggests we can't predict crop safety by looking at these contaminants separately, their combined effects are more complex and need further research to understand how they might impact the food we eat.
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Researchers studied how the combination of microplastics, acid rain, and cadmium affects rice seedling growth. They found that at high cadmium concentrations, the presence of microplastics and acid rain actually reduced cadmium's toxic effects by lowering how much of the metal accumulated in the plants. The study provides nuanced evidence that interactions between multiple environmental pollutants can sometimes produce unexpected outcomes, which matters for understanding food safety in contaminated agricultural areas.
Exploration of Single and Co-Toxic Effects of Polypropylene Micro-Plastics and Cadmium on Rice (Oryza sativa L.)
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Researchers investigated the single and combined toxic effects of polypropylene microplastics and cadmium on rice plants, finding that co-exposure altered cadmium bioavailability and produced compounded negative effects on plant growth and development.
Coexposure to polyvinyl chloride and acid rain mitigates cadmium toxicity in rice roots via a coordinated molecular response
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Scientists found that when rice plants are exposed to both plastic pollution (PVC microplastics) and acid rain along with toxic cadmium in soil, the plants actually handle the cadmium stress better than expected — turning on their own defense genes and blocking some cadmium uptake. This is surprising and important because cadmium is a harmful heavy metal that can build up in rice and pose health risks to people who eat it, so understanding how combined pollutants affect crops could help scientists develop rice that's safer to eat even when grown in polluted conditions.
Microplastic particles increase arsenic toxicity to rice seedlings
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Researchers studied how polystyrene and polytetrafluoroethylene microplastics interact with arsenic to affect rice seedling growth. They found that microplastics alone reduced plant biomass and inhibited photosynthesis, while the combination with arsenic at higher concentrations amplified the toxic effects on root activity and cell membranes. The study reveals that microplastic contamination in agricultural settings may worsen the impact of other pollutants on food crops.
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