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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Microplastic influences the ménage à trois among the plant, a fungal pathogen, and a plant growth-promoting fungal species
ClearPotential impacts of two types of microplastics on Solanum lycopersicum L. and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi
Researchers investigated the potential impacts of two types of microplastics on tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, examining how plastic pollution may disrupt plant-fungal symbiotic relationships in agricultural soils.
Migration and accumulation of microplastics in soil-plant systems mediated by symbiotic microorganisms and their ecological effects
This study found that beneficial soil fungi (mycorrhizal fungi) actually accelerate the uptake of smaller microplastics by plant roots while slowing the uptake of larger ones. The microplastics disrupted the symbiotic relationship between the fungi and plants, reducing plant nutrient absorption and growth, which matters because crops grown in microplastic-contaminated soil may be less nutritious.
Microplastics in terrestrial ecosystem: Exploring the menace to the soil-plant-microbe interactions
This review summarizes existing research on how microplastics affect the complex relationships between soil, plants, and soil microbes. Microplastics alter soil structure, change the makeup of microbial communities, and disrupt beneficial partnerships between plants and helpful fungi and bacteria. These disruptions can reduce plant growth and nutrient cycling, which could ultimately affect crop yields and the quality of food produced on microplastic-contaminated farmland.
Diversity and interactions of rhizobacteria determine multinutrient traits in tomato host plants under nitrogen and water disturbances
Researchers investigated how root-associated bacteria help tomato plants maintain nutrient uptake under nitrogen and water stress conditions. They found that microbial diversity and species interactions were key factors in supporting the plant's ability to acquire multiple nutrients simultaneously. While not directly about microplastics, the study advances understanding of soil microbiome dynamics that are relevant to agricultural systems increasingly affected by plastic contamination.
The mycorrhizal symbiosis: research frontiers in genomics, ecology, and agricultural application
This review covers the latest advances in understanding mycorrhizal fungi, which form partnerships with plant roots to help them absorb nutrients and resist stress. While not directly about microplastics, mycorrhizal networks play a critical role in soil health, and research shows that microplastic contamination in soil can disrupt these beneficial fungal partnerships. Healthy mycorrhizal networks may also help buffer plants against some negative effects of soil pollutants, including microplastics.
Microplastic-pathogen interactions differentially modulate tomato Fusarium wilt severity: The dependence of polymer biodegradability
Researchers investigated how different types of microplastics affect Fusarium wilt severity in tomato plants and found that the impact depends on whether the plastic is biodegradable or conventional. Conventional polyethylene microplastics tended to worsen the disease by altering rhizosphere microbial communities, while biodegradable plastics showed different effects. The study reveals that the biodegradability of microplastics is an important factor in how they interact with soil-borne plant pathogens.
Impact of Coexistence of Microplastics and Biochar on the Abundance and Structure of Soil Fungal Communities
Researchers investigated the effects of polypropylene, polyethylene, and PVC microplastics — alone and in combination with biochar — on soil fungal community structure, diversity, and functional prediction in agricultural soil. Microplastics increased overall fungal abundance but reduced diversity indices, with dominant taxa including Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, Mortierella, Aspergillus, and Fusarium, and coexistence with biochar amplifying these effects beyond microplastics alone.
Mitigating the detrimental impacts of low- and high-density polyethylene microplastics using a novel microbial consortium on a soil-plant system: Insights and interactions
Researchers tested a novel microbial consortium containing bacterial and fungal strains to mitigate the harmful effects of polyethylene microplastics on soil and sunflower growth. The study found that microplastics altered soil pH, electrical conductivity, and organic carbon levels, but the microbial consortium treatment helped counteract some of these detrimental effects on the soil-plant system.
Interactions of microplastics and cadmium on plant growth and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities in an agricultural soil
Researchers studied how polyethylene and polylactic acid microplastics interact with cadmium contamination to affect maize growth and beneficial soil fungi in agricultural soil. While polyethylene showed minimal direct plant toxicity, high doses of polylactic acid significantly reduced maize biomass, and both plastic types altered the communities of root-associated fungi. The study suggests that co-contamination of microplastics and heavy metals in farmland can jointly disrupt plant health and soil ecosystems.
Microplastics in the Soil at Sub‐Toxic Concentrations Cause Metabolic Changes Decreasing Fungal Pathogen Susceptibility in Arabidopsis thaliana
This laboratory study grew the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana in soil containing PET or PVC microplastics and then challenged the plants with a fungal pathogen. Surprisingly, low concentrations of PVC microplastics appeared to prime the plant's immune response, making it more resistant to infection — demonstrated by smaller fungal lesions and higher levels of defensive compounds. However, PVC also reduced plant biomass, and the overall picture was mixed rather than uniformly harmful or beneficial. The results highlight the complex, concentration-dependent ways microplastics can interfere with plant-pathogen interactions in agricultural soils.
Effects of polyethylene microplastics on the microbial community structure of maize rhizosphere soil
Researchers investigated how polyethylene microplastics from agricultural films affect the microbial communities in crop root zones (rhizosphere), finding shifts in bacterial diversity and function. Disrupting soil microbiomes through microplastic contamination could have downstream effects on soil fertility and crop health.
Can microplastics threaten plant productivity and fruit quality? Insights from Micro-Tom and Micro-PET/PVC
Researchers grew tomato plants in soil containing environmentally realistic levels of PET and PVC microplastics and found mixed effects on plant productivity and fruit quality. While some growth parameters were affected, the microplastics also altered the mineral content of the tomatoes. This study suggests that microplastics in agricultural soil could change the nutritional profile of the food we eat.
From the rhizosphere to plant fitness: Implications of microplastics soil pollution
Researchers exposed strawberry plants to low-density polyethylene microplastics in soil and found significant harm, including reduced chlorophyll levels, altered nutrient uptake, and increased stress responses. The microplastics also shifted the soil microbiome toward potentially harmful fungi and bacteria. These findings show that microplastics in agricultural soil can damage crop health and change the microbial community that plants depend on.
Soil microorganisms play an important role in the detrimental impact of biodegradable microplastics on plants
Researchers found that biodegradable microplastics harmed vegetable crop growth by disrupting the soil microbial community rather than through direct contact with the plants. When soil microorganisms were suppressed, the negative effects of the biodegradable microplastics on plant growth were also reduced. The study suggests that soil bacteria and fungi play a key role in mediating the harmful impacts of biodegradable plastics on agricultural crops.
Enhancing Soil Health and Plant Growth through Microbial Fertilizers: Mechanisms, Benefits, and Sustainable Agricultural Practices
This study examines how microbial fertilizers improve soil health by boosting beneficial microorganism populations that help plants absorb nutrients and resist disease. While not directly about microplastics, healthy soil microbial communities are important for breaking down environmental contaminants including plastics. The research supports sustainable farming practices that could help soils better cope with microplastic contamination.
Emerging Microplastics Alter the Influences of Soil Animals on the Fungal Community Structure in Determining the Litter Decomposition of a Deciduous Tree
Researchers investigated how microplastics in forest soil affect the interactions between soil animals and fungal communities during leaf litter decomposition. They found that the presence of microplastics altered fungal community structure and disrupted the beneficial influence that soil animals normally have on decomposition processes. The study suggests that microplastic contamination in forest ecosystems could interfere with nutrient cycling by changing how decomposer communities function.
Microplastics in soil can increase nutrient uptake by wheat
Researchers found that microplastics in soil can increase nutrient uptake by wheat by stimulating microbial activity and altering root interactions, suggesting microplastics may disrupt natural nutrient-cycling strategies in agricultural systems.
Effects of polyethylene microplastics and heavy metals on soil-plant microbial dynamics
This study examined how polyethylene microplastics interact with heavy metals in soil and found that microplastics significantly reduced plant growth while altering soil enzyme activity and microbial communities. The combination of microplastics and heavy metals disrupted nutrient cycling in the soil in ways that were different from either pollutant alone. These findings suggest that microplastic contamination in agricultural soil could affect crop nutrition and food production.
Polyethylene microplastics alter soil microbial community assembly and ecosystem multifunctionality
Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastics at different concentrations affect soil microbial communities and overall ecosystem function in a maize growing system. They found that higher concentrations of microplastics shifted microbial community composition, reduced beneficial bacteria involved in nutrient cycling, and impaired multiple soil ecosystem functions simultaneously. The study suggests that microplastic contamination in agricultural soils can undermine the biological processes that support healthy crop growth.
Microplastic fiber and drought effects on plants and soil are only slightly modified by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi
Researchers grew onions in soil contaminated with polyester microfibers under normal and drought conditions, finding that microfibers actually boosted plant growth and encouraged beneficial root fungi (mycorrhizae), but still degraded soil structure regardless. The results suggest microplastic fibers can subtly reshape plant-soil systems in ways not always visible at the surface.
Effects of microplastic types and shapes on the community structure of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in different soil types
Researchers examined how different types and shapes of microplastics affect arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi communities across various soil types. The study found that microplastics alter soil structure and chemistry in ways that disrupt these beneficial fungi, which play crucial roles in nutrient exchange, soil stability, and water movement.
Effects of different microplastics on the activation of soil potassium by ectomycorrhizal fungi
This study found that both polypropylene (PP) and polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics hindered the growth of an ectomycorrhizal fungus and reduced how much potassium it could release from soil for plants, with PLA being the more harmful of the two. The findings matter because mycorrhizal fungi are critical for forest nutrient cycling, and microplastic contamination of soils could quietly degrade this ecosystem service.
Legacy effect of microplastics on plant–soil feedbacks
Researchers examined the legacy effects of microplastic contamination on plant-soil feedbacks using soil previously conditioned with various microplastic types, finding that residual microplastics altered soil microbial communities and nutrient cycling in ways that affected subsequent plant growth.
Uncovering the intricate relationship between plant nutrients and microplastics in agroecosystems
A study of wheat grown in soils with varying microplastic levels found complex interactions between MPs and plant macronutrients and micronutrients, with MPs altering nutrient uptake in ways that could affect crop productivity in contaminated agricultural soils.