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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Microplastics reduced bioavailability and altered toxicity of phenanthrene to maize (Zea mays L.) through modulating rhizosphere microbial community and maize growth
ClearPolyethylene 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.
[Effect of Microplastics and Phenanthrene on Soil Chemical Properties, Enzymatic Activities, and Microbial Communities].
A 300-day experiment tested how polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics, alone and combined with the PAH pollutant phenanthrene, affected soil chemistry, enzyme activity, and microbial communities. The results showed that microplastics and phenanthrene interacted to reshape soil microbial composition and function in ways that neither contaminant produced alone, suggesting that co-contamination by microplastics and organic pollutants poses compounded risks to soil ecosystem health.
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.
Impacts of microplastics on agroecosystem multifunctionality: From plant production to soil microbial diversity and functions
A laboratory study added three common types of microplastics — polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene — to maize-soil systems at varying concentrations and measured the cascading effects on crop health and soil ecology. All types of microplastics harmed maize growth and disrupted nutrient cycling, particularly reducing phosphorus availability, though low concentrations sometimes temporarily boosted soil microbial diversity. The findings warn that microplastic buildup in agricultural soils poses a real threat to food production and ecosystem health at the scale plastics are now accumulating.
Microplastics Reduce the Negative Effects of Litter-Derived Plant Secondary Metabolites on Nematodes in Soil
Researchers found that microplastics in soil reduced the toxic effects of plant-derived chemicals (phenolic compounds from leaf litter) on soil nematodes. The microplastics appeared to absorb the plant chemicals, reducing their bioavailability to the worms. This shows that microplastics can change soil chemistry in unexpected ways, potentially altering how soil ecosystems function.
Influence of soil microplastic contamination on maize (Zea mays) development and microbial dynamics
Researchers grew maize (corn) in soil contaminated with varying amounts of microplastics and found that higher microplastic levels disrupted soil bacteria and fungi, caused leaf damage like yellowing and tissue death, and led to elevated heavy metals in plant tissue above safe limits. The results point to serious risks microplastics pose to crop health, soil ecosystems, and food safety.
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.
Influencing mechanisms of microplastics existence on soil heavy metals accumulated by plants
This review summarizes existing research on how microplastics in soil affect the uptake of heavy metals by plants. Microplastics can change soil chemistry and microbial communities in ways that alter how much toxic metals plants absorb through their roots. This is concerning for human health because microplastic-contaminated agricultural soil could lead to crops that contain higher levels of dangerous heavy metals.
Microplastics lag the leaching of phenanthrene in soil and reduce its bioavailability to wheat
Researchers found that polystyrene, polyethylene, and PVC microplastics delayed the downward leaching of phenanthrene through soil by adsorbing the contaminant, reducing its bioavailability to wheat, with adsorption capacity following the order PS > PE > PVC.
Effect of emerging contaminants on soil microbial community composition, soil enzyme activity, and strawberry plant growth in polyethylene microplastic-containing soils
Researchers found that emerging contaminants altered soil microbial community composition and enzyme activity, but these effects were suppressed when HDPE microplastics were also present in the soil, suggesting microplastics may modulate how soils respond to chemical contaminants.
Effects of microplastics and cadmium co-contamination on soil properties, maize (Zea mays L.) growth characteristics, and cadmium accumulation in maize in loessial soil-maize systems
Researchers studied the combined effects of polyethylene microplastics and cadmium on soil properties and maize growth through pot experiments. They found that microplastics altered soil nutrient availability and, depending on size and concentration, either increased or decreased cadmium uptake by the plants. The study suggests that microplastic contamination in agricultural soils can change how crops absorb toxic heavy metals, with potential implications for food safety.
Potential impacts of polyethylene microplastics and heavy metals on Bidens pilosa L. growth: Shifts in root-associated endophyte microbial communities
Researchers found that polyethylene microplastics in soil contaminated with heavy metals significantly stunted plant growth, reducing root length by nearly 49% and increasing harmful reactive oxygen species in plant tissues. The microplastics also shifted the soil's microbial communities toward stress-resistant species, demonstrating how plastic pollution can disrupt the soil ecosystem that supports our food supply.
Microplastics Can Change Soil Properties and Affect Plant Performance
Researchers tested six different types of microplastics in soil and found that they altered key soil properties including water-holding capacity, bulk density, and microbial activity. These changes in soil structure had cascading effects on plant growth, with some microplastic types reducing above-ground biomass. The study demonstrates that microplastics can fundamentally change how soil functions, with consequences for plant health and ecosystem stability.
Microplastics in plant-soil ecosystems: A meta-analysis
This first formal meta-analysis of microplastics in plant-soil systems found that microplastics made soils more porous and water-retentive but decreased aggregate stability and microbial diversity, suggesting plastics occupy physical space without integrating into the soil biophysical matrix. Maize was more sensitive than rice or wheat, and microplastics enhanced soil CO2 flux and evapotranspiration while reducing N2O flux.
A new quantitative insight: Interaction of polyethylene microplastics with soil - microbiome - crop
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.
Effects of Polyethylene Microplastics and Phenanthrene on Soil Properties, Enzyme Activities and Bacterial Communities
Researchers conducted a year-long soil microcosm experiment finding that polyethylene microplastics and phenanthrene, individually and combined, significantly altered soil pH, enzyme activities, and bacterial community diversity and function, with combined pollution showing the most pronounced effects.
Microplastics in plant-microbes-soil system: A review on recent studies
This review examined microplastic interactions within the plant-microbe-soil system, finding that microplastics affect soil physicochemical properties, alter microbial communities, and can be taken up by plants, with implications for food safety and ecosystem health.
Evaluating the impacts of microplastics on agricultural soil physical, chemical properties, and toxic metal availability: An emerging concern for sustainable agriculture
This study tested how five common types of microplastics affect soil properties and heavy metal availability in agricultural soil over 90 days. Microplastics changed soil structure, nutrient levels, and water-holding capacity, and actually reduced the availability of toxic heavy metals at higher plastic concentrations -- highlighting the complex ways plastic pollution is altering the farmland that produces our food.
Uptake and bioaccumulation of microplastics by plants: Exploring impacts and remediation potential in terrestrial and aquatic environment
This review examined how plants take up and accumulate microplastics from contaminated soil, finding that plastics can disrupt soil microbial communities, reduce nutrient availability, and impair plant growth. The uptake of microplastics by edible crops raises concerns about food chain transfer to humans, since the particles can carry toxic pollutants like persistent organic compounds and heavy metals.
Responses of maize (Zea mays L.) seedlings growth and physiological traits triggered by polyvinyl chloride microplastics is dominated by soil available nitrogen
Researchers found that PVC microplastics in soil reduced maize seedling growth primarily by depleting available nitrogen, a nutrient essential for plant development. The microplastics altered soil bacteria, enzymes, and nutrient levels, with nitrogen availability explaining nearly 88% of the changes in plant growth. This suggests that microplastic pollution in agricultural soil could reduce crop yields by starving plants of essential nutrients.
Polyethylene microplastics reduce microbe-driven multifunctionality in maize-soybean intercropping ecosystem
This greenhouse study examined how polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene microplastics affect a maize-soybean intercropping system at concentrations up to 5% by weight. High PP concentrations reduced maize biomass by nearly 30%, while PS surprisingly increased it; microplastic presence generally disrupted soil microbial diversity and reduced overall ecosystem multifunctionality.
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.
The joint toxicity of polyethylene microplastic and phenanthrene to wheat seedlings
Researchers studied the individual and combined effects of polyethylene microplastics and the pollutant phenanthrene on wheat seedlings grown in soil. They found that microplastics alone caused dose-dependent reductions in plant growth and damaged the photosynthetic system, while the combination with phenanthrene worsened the damage. The study suggests that the co-occurrence of microplastics and organic pollutants in agricultural soils may create compounding negative effects on crop growth.
Size and concentration-dependent effects of polyethylene microplastics on soil chemistry in a microcosm study
Researchers tested how polyethylene microplastics of different sizes and concentrations affect soil chemistry in a controlled lab setting. They found that the smallest microplastic particles reduced the soil's ability to hold nutrients by nearly 13% and altered dissolved organic matter, while also leaching phthalate chemicals into the soil. The study suggests that as microplastics accumulate in agricultural soils, they could impair important soil functions related to nutrient retention and pollutant movement.