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Papers
43 resultsShowing papers from Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences
ClearBiochar relieves the toxic effects of microplastics on the root-rhizosphere soil system by altering root expression profiles and microbial diversity and functions
Researchers found that adding biochar (a charcoal-like soil amendment) to soil contaminated with polystyrene microplastics helped peanut plants recover by boosting their antioxidant defenses and restoring beneficial soil bacteria. This suggests biochar could be a practical tool for protecting crops in microplastic-contaminated farmland, which matters for food safety and reducing the amount of microplastics that enter the human food chain.
When Nano- and Microplastics Meet Taro (<i>Colocasia esculenta</i>) Roots: Their Size-Dependent Adsorption, Penetration, and Promotion on Secondary Wall Reinforcement
Researchers exposed taro plants to different sizes of plastic particles and found that nanoplastics (50-100 nm) could penetrate root cells while larger microplastics (200-500 nm) could not. In response, the taro roots mounted a defense by thickening their cell walls by over 100%, successfully preventing the plastics from reaching the edible corm, which suggests some food crops may have natural defenses against plastic contamination in soil.
Review of the Presence and Phage-Mediated Transfer of ARGs in Biofilms
This review summarizes how bacterial communities that form protective films (biofilms) on surfaces -- including microplastics -- serve as reservoirs for antibiotic resistance genes that can spread to other bacteria. The paper highlights that viruses called bacteriophages can transfer these resistance genes between bacteria within biofilms, potentially accelerating the spread of drug-resistant infections that are increasingly difficult to treat.
Biodegradable PBAT microplastics adversely affect pakchoi (Brassica chinensis L.) growth and the rhizosphere ecology: Focusing on rhizosphere microbial community composition, element metabolic potential, and root exudates
Researchers compared biodegradable PBAT plastic microplastics with conventional polyethylene microplastics in soil and found that the biodegradable version actually caused more harm to plant growth and soil health. PBAT microplastics reduced nutrient availability, disrupted the soil microbial community, and altered root chemistry more than conventional plastic. This finding challenges the assumption that biodegradable plastics are always safer for the environment.
Combined transcriptome and metabolome analysis revealed the toxicity mechanism of individual or combined of microplastic and salt stress on maize
Researchers studied how polystyrene microplastics combined with salt stress affect maize seedlings, finding that the combination reduced plant growth by nearly 74%, far worse than either stressor alone. Gene and metabolite analysis revealed that the combined stress severely disrupted energy production, antioxidant defenses, and hormone signaling in the plants. This is relevant to food security because microplastic-contaminated agricultural soils with high salt levels could dramatically reduce crop yields.
Characteristics analysis of plastisphere biofilm and effect of aging products on nitrogen metabolizing flora in microcosm wetlands experiment
Researchers placed three types of plastic in miniature constructed wetlands for 180 days and tracked how they aged and affected microbial communities. The plastics degraded at different rates, with PVC developing new chemical groups and all surfaces becoming less water-repellent as bacteria colonized them. The plastic surfaces altered nitrogen-processing bacteria in the wetland water, suggesting microplastics can disrupt nutrient cycling in natural wetland ecosystems.
Mitigating microplastic stress on peanuts: The role of biochar-based synthetic community in the preservation of soil physicochemical properties and microbial diversity
Researchers found that tire-derived microplastics in soil harmed peanut plant growth and disrupted soil bacteria, but adding biochar with a specially designed bacterial community helped counteract the damage. The biochar treatment restored soil health, improved microbial diversity, and boosted peanut growth even in microplastic-contaminated soil. This approach could help protect food crops from the harmful effects of microplastic pollution in agricultural land.
Effects of microplastics and salt single or combined stresses on growth and physiological responses of maize seedlings
Researchers studied how microplastics and salt stress, individually and combined, affect the growth of maize seedlings. They found that combined exposure caused more severe damage than either stressor alone, reducing plant biomass, disrupting photosynthesis, and increasing oxidative damage. The findings are relevant to agricultural regions where plastic mulch films break down into microplastics in salt-affected soils, creating compounding stress on crops.
Effects of Total Solid Content on Anaerobic Fermentation Performance and Biogas Productivity of Tail Vegetables
Researchers tested how different amounts of solid material affect biogas production from vegetable waste through anaerobic fermentation. They found that a total solid content of around 4% produced the best results, while higher concentrations led to acid buildup that stalled the process. The findings offer practical guidance for turning agricultural vegetable waste into renewable energy more efficiently.
Effects of biochar amendment and organic fertilizer on microbial communities in the rhizosphere soil of wheat in Yellow River Delta saline-alkaline soil
Researchers studied how adding biochar and organic fertilizer to salty alkaline soil in China's Yellow River Delta affected the microbial communities around wheat roots. Both amendments increased beneficial soil bacteria and improved soil fertility indicators like organic matter and available nutrients. The findings suggest that biochar and organic fertilizer together can help rehabilitate degraded saline soils by promoting healthier microbial ecosystems.
Biodegradable microplastics-induced free-living nitrogen fixation enhancement and diazotrophic community differentiation in soils
Scientists found that tiny pieces of biodegradable plastic in farm soil actually boost the activity of helpful bacteria that add nitrogen to the soil, which plants need to grow. However, these same plastic pieces also reduce other important nutrients in the soil and change which types of bacteria live there. This matters because as farmers use more biodegradable plastics, we need to understand how the tiny plastic pieces left behind might affect our food production and soil health.
Polystyrene nanoplastics in soil impair drought priming-induced low temperature tolerance in wheat
Researchers investigated how polystyrene nanoplastics in soil affect the cold stress tolerance of drought-primed wheat plants. The study found that nanoplastic contamination impaired the beneficial effects of drought priming on photosynthesis and carbohydrate metabolism, ultimately reducing grain yield, suggesting that nanoplastic pollution may undermine crop resilience strategies.
Microplastic contamination in plants: Seed-to-harvest exposure and quantified evidence from medicinal crops
Researchers tracked how microplastics interact with medicinal root crops from seed germination through harvest and found that seed imbibition attracts microplastic particles from surrounding soil. The study revealed that after 120 days of exposure, mature root periderm trapped approximately 140,000 to 150,000 particles per gram, and that microplastic penetration into seedling roots varied by plant species and root structure.
Microplastics reduce nitrogen uptake in peanut plants by damaging root cells and impairing soil nitrogen cycling
Researchers found that microplastics reduce nitrogen uptake in peanut plants by damaging root cells and impairing soil nitrogen cycling, with polypropylene and rubber crumb particles at high concentrations inhibiting plant growth and disrupting the soil-plant nitrogen system.
Root wounds facilitate the uptake of microplastics in crop plants
Scientists found that tiny plastic particles can enter food crops like corn and taro through damaged plant roots and travel up into the parts we eat. When plant roots get deep cuts or injuries (which happens often during farming), these microplastics can slip inside and contaminate our food supply. This research suggests we need better farming practices to protect plant roots and reduce the amount of plastic pollution that ends up on our dinner plates.
Polystyrene microplastics disturb the redox homeostasis, carbohydrate metabolism and phytohormone regulatory network in barley
Researchers exposed barley plants to polystyrene microplastics and found the particles accumulated in roots and stunted rootlet development by disrupting redox balance, carbohydrate metabolism enzymes, and phytohormone signaling pathways.
Polystyrene nanoplastics induce cell type-dependent secondary wall reinforcement in rice (Oryza sativa) roots and reduce root hydraulic conductivity
Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics penetrating rice roots trigger a cell-type-specific defense response in which the plant reinforces its secondary cell walls with lignin and suberin in key barrier tissues, increasing wall thickness by up to 22% while simultaneously reducing the root's ability to absorb water by nearly 15%.
Regulation of DNA Methylation in Peanut Leaves and Roots: Uncovering the Molecular Mechanisms for Increased Yield After Single‐Seed Sowing
Researchers used genome-wide DNA methylation profiling to investigate why single-seed precision sowing produces larger peanut plants than double-seed sowing. They found that single-seed sowing increases CHH methylation in both leaves and roots, and that inhibiting DNA methylation with 5-azacytidine eliminated the growth difference, confirming epigenetic regulation of yield responses to planting density.
Impacts of non-spherical polyethylene nanoplastics on microbial communities and antibiotic resistance genes in the rhizosphere of pea (Pisum sativum L.): An integrated metagenomic and metabolomic analysis
Researchers exposed pea plants to non-spherical polyethylene nanoplastics at 0, 20, and 200 mg/kg, finding that high doses significantly inhibited plant growth, restructured rhizosphere microbial communities, and elevated antibiotic resistance gene abundance via integrated metagenomics and metabolomics.
Bacterial life-history trade-offs under biodegradable and conventional microplastics in cinnamon and lime concretion black soils
Researchers studied how two biodegradable and four conventional microplastics affect bacterial life-history trade-offs in two distinct Chinese soil types, finding that soil type and plastic type together shaped bacterial diversity, community composition, and functional profiles.
Aging of polypropylene plastic and impacts on microbial community structure in constructed wetlands
This study examined how aging of polypropylene plastic from COVID-19 disposable masks affects microbial community structure in constructed wetland ecosystems. Results showed that weathered polypropylene altered the composition and function of wetland microbial communities, with implications for wetland biogeochemical cycling and pollutant treatment capacity.
Responses of soil nutrients, enzyme activities, and maize yield to straw and plastic film mulching in coastal saline-alkaline
A field experiment tested straw mulching combined with plastic film mulching in coastal saline-alkaline soils to improve soil nutrients, enzyme activity, and maize yield over 2019-2020. The combined treatment outperformed individual mulching approaches for soil organic carbon and catalase activity in the 0-20 cm layer.
Photocatalytic degradation of polyethylene and polystyrene microplastics by α-Fe2O3/g-C3N4
An alpha-Fe2O3/g-C3N4 composite photocatalyst was shown to degrade both polyethylene and polystyrene microplastic films under visible light irradiation, with the photocatalyst causing surface cracking and mass loss significantly exceeding non-catalyzed controls.
The behavior of microplastics and nanoplastics release from UV-aged masks in the water
UV irradiation of three types of disposable masks in water progressively damaged their structure over 15-30 days, releasing microplastics and nanoplastics at rates that increased exponentially with irradiation time, with an estimated release of up to 3.66 x 10^10 particles per mask over 1-3 years of environmental exposure.