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20 resultsShowing papers similar to Dual regulation of pakchoi–soil systems by zinc oxide nanoparticles under polyethylene microplastics stress: Dose-dependent effects, microbial cascades, and risk propagation
ClearEnhancing spinach growth and soil microbial health under sulfadiazine and polypropylene exposure through zinc fortification
Researchers found that zinc oxide nanoparticles can effectively reduce the toxic effects of antibiotics and polypropylene microplastics on spinach plants grown in contaminated soil. The zinc treatment lowered oxidative stress markers by 18-28% while boosting the activity of protective enzymes in roots and shoots. The study suggests that zinc supplementation could be a practical strategy for improving crop health in soils polluted with microplastics and pharmaceutical residues.
Co-exposure of maize to polyethylene microplastics and ZnO nanoparticles: Impact on growth, fate, and interaction
Researchers studied the combined effects of polyethylene microplastics and zinc oxide nanoparticles on maize growth in a pot experiment. The study found that co-exposure altered plant growth, the fate of nanoparticles in the soil-plant system, and the interaction between these two common agricultural contaminants, suggesting that microplastics can influence how other pollutants behave in crop production.
Metagenomic analysis reveals soil microbiome responses to microplastics and ZnO nanoparticles in an agricultural soil
Researchers used advanced genetic analysis to show that microplastics and zinc oxide nanoparticles together alter soil microbe communities in ways that disrupt nutrient cycling, including carbon and nitrogen processing. Notably, biodegradable PLA plastic caused more harm to fungal communities than conventional plastics like polyethylene, challenging the assumption that biodegradable plastics are always safer for the environment.
Mitigating the effects of PVC microplastics and mercury stress on rye (Secale cereale L.) plants using zinc oxide−nanoparticles
Researchers applied zinc oxide nanoparticles to rye plants exposed to PVC microplastics and mercury in soil, finding that ZnO-NPs mitigated some of the toxic effects by improving nutrient uptake and reducing oxidative stress. The study suggests nanoparticle-based approaches may help protect crops in microplastic- and heavy metal-contaminated soils.
Fragmentation of nanoplastics driven by plant–microbe rhizosphere interaction during abiotic stress combination
In rhizosphere experiments, plant-microbe interactions under combined cadmium and nanoplastic stress generated fragmented nanoplastics that were taken up by plant roots, demonstrating that biotic soil processes can alter nanoplastic size and enhance plant exposure.
Impact of Nanoplastic Contamination on Rhizosphere Microbiome and Plant Phenotype
This study examined how nanoplastic contamination affects the rhizosphere microbiome (soil bacteria around plant roots) and plant growth. Nanoplastic exposure altered soil microbial communities and reduced plant growth, suggesting these tiny plastic particles could disrupt the soil ecosystems that support food production.
The Effects of Microplastics and Heavy Metals Individually and in Combination on the Growth of Water Spinach (Ipomoea aquatic) and Rhizosphere Microorganisms
Researchers tested how combinations of microplastics and heavy metals (cadmium and lead) affect the growth of water spinach and the microbial communities in its root zone. They found that all three stressors individually inhibited plant growth, and combining microplastics with heavy metals intensified the toxic effects while reducing the availability of essential soil nutrients. The study suggests that microplastic-heavy metal interactions in agricultural soils may pose compounding risks to both crop health and soil ecosystem function.
Microplastics change soil properties, heavy metal availability and bacterial community in a Pb-Zn-contaminated soil
This study found that adding six different types of microplastics to soil contaminated with lead and zinc changed the soil's chemistry, increased the availability of those toxic metals, and shifted the bacterial communities living in the soil. Higher doses of microplastics caused greater disruption, reducing microbial diversity and altering nutrient cycling. The findings suggest that microplastics in contaminated soil could make heavy metals more likely to enter plants and the food chain.
Unveiling the mechanism of micro-and-nano plastic phytotoxicity on terrestrial plants: A comprehensive review of omics approaches.
This comprehensive review examined how micro-and-nano plastics (MNPs) in terrestrial soils damage plant health by inhibiting water and nutrient uptake, reducing seed germination, impairing photosynthesis, and inducing oxidative stress. The review identified key knowledge gaps in understanding MNP phytotoxicity mechanisms and their implications for food security.
Nanoplastic alters soybean microbiome across rhizocompartments level and symbiosis via flavonoid-mediated pathways
Researchers applied polypropylene and polyethylene nanoplastics to soybean growing conditions and found that the particles altered soil chemistry, changed bacterial communities, and unexpectedly accelerated root nodule formation and nitrogen-fixing activity at lower doses. The effects varied by plastic type, with polyethylene nanoplastics having a stronger impact on soil enzyme activity. The study reveals that nanoplastic pollution can reshape the soil microbiome and influence how plants form beneficial partnerships with nitrogen-fixing bacteria.
Zinc oxide nanoparticles and polyethylene microplastics affect the growth, physiological and biochemical attributes, and Zn accumulation of rice seedlings
Researchers found that both zinc oxide nanoparticles and polyethylene microplastics disrupted growth, physiology, and zinc uptake in two rice cultivars, with nanoparticles having a stronger effect than microplastics, and responses varying by cultivar and dose.
Maize adaptation to low-dose nanoplastic–lead co-contamination: Foliar metabolic reprogramming and phyllospheric microbiome restructuring
Researchers simulated rain-deposited co-exposure of maize seedlings to nanoplastics and lead at environmentally relevant concentrations and found that while plant growth was not visibly impaired over 45 days, leaf metabolism shifted toward lipid processing and away from carbon metabolism, and the leaf microbiome restructured toward stress-tolerant microbial taxa.
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.
Effects of nanoplastics and compound pollutants containing nanoplastics on plants, microorganisms and rhizosphere systems: A review
This review summarizes how nanoplastics, the tiniest plastic particles, affect plants, soil microorganisms, and the root zone where they interact. Nanoplastics can disrupt photosynthesis, alter gene activity, and reduce microbial diversity, and their harmful effects get worse when they combine with heavy metals or other pollutants. Since plant roots are a key pathway for nanoplastics to enter the food chain, these effects could ultimately impact the safety and nutritional quality of the food we eat.
Effects of nano- or microplastic exposure combined with arsenic on soil bacterial, fungal, and protistan communities
Researchers studied the combined and individual effects of arsenic and micro- or nanoplastics on soil bacterial, fungal, and protistan communities. The study found that combined pollution distinctly altered the composition of these microbial communities, with protistan communities being particularly sensitive, indicating that the co-occurrence of plastics and heavy metals in soil may have compounding ecological effects.
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.
Micro (nano) plastic pollution: The ecological influence on soil-plant system and human health.
This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics affect soil health, plant growth, and food quality, finding that these particles accumulate in plant root systems and can reduce crop yields and alter nutritional content. Since contaminated soil and water are increasingly delivering microplastics to food crops, these findings are directly relevant to agricultural food safety.
The Effect of Microplastics-Plants on the Bioavailability of Copper and Zinc in the Soil of a Sewage Irrigation Area
Researchers examined how different concentrations of microplastics affect the bioavailability of copper and zinc in sewage-irrigated soils, finding that microplastics can alter heavy metal mobility and plant uptake, with implications for food safety in contaminated agricultural areas.
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.
The effects of polyvinyl chloride microplastics and zinc oxide nanoparticles co-exposure on nutritional quality of purple waxy maize grains
Researchers investigated the co-exposure effects of polyvinyl chloride microplastics and zinc oxide nanoparticles on purple waxy maize grain quality. Surprisingly, the combination treatment increased ear weight and improved nutritional quality by promoting protein, starch, and amino acid accumulation, suggesting that zinc oxide nanoparticles may help mitigate some negative effects of microplastic soil contamination on crop nutrition.