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Effects of biodegradable and conventional microplastics on soil-mung bean system under ZnO nanoparticle stress
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A greenhouse study found that co-exposure of mung bean plants to ZnO nanoparticles and polyethylene or biodegradable PLA microplastics altered zinc uptake, root accumulation, and soil microbial community composition, with PE and PLA affecting different functional microbial guilds involved in carbon and nitrogen cycling. These interactions reveal that microplastics in agricultural soils do not act in isolation — they reshape the soil microbiome in ways that affect nutrient cycling and the transfer of potentially toxic metals into food crops.
The plastic film mulch and nano-fertilization were widely used in agricultural production, which caused co-input of microplastics (MPs) and ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) into agricultural soil, but few studies have focused on co-exposure of ZnO NPs and different MPs. Here we concentrated on assessing the effects of co-exposure of ZnO NPs and conventional polyethylene (PE)/bio-degradable polylactide (PLA) microplastics on soil–plant system. The individual and combined of ZnO NPs and PE/PLA microplastics were applied to mung bean. Plant physiological, antioxidant enzyme activities, element absorption were assessed, alongside changes in soil microbial communities and physicochemical properties. The addition of individual MPs and co-exposure of MPs and ZnO NPs did not pose significant effects on root and shoot DW compared to control (CK), while the individual exposure of ZnO NPs significantly decreased the the root dry weight (DW) compared with the CK and MPs treatments. The addition of two types of MPs increased root Zn concentration (+ 28.46% to + 39.18%) and decreased its concentration in leaves (–2.3% to –8.07%) compared to ZnO NPs alone. The family Xanthomonadaceae was the most important soil bacteria influencing Zn concentration in mung bean. The conventional PE mainly enhanced the C fixation and N reduction functional microbiome, whereas PLA tended to enrich C degradation and predatory or exoparasitic microbiome for N cycle. These findings revealed the combined and individual effects of two types of MPs and ZnO NPs stress on soil properties and microbial environment and mung bean growth. These findings advance understanding of integrated plant-soil response under the co-usage of ZnO NPs fertilizer and plastic film mulch.
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