Botany and Microbiology Department, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Botany, Division of Science and Technology, University of Education, Lahore, 54770, Pakistan.
Plant Physiol Biochem. 2024 Aug;213:108865. doi: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2024.108865. Epub 2024 Jun 21.
The emergence of microplastics (MPs) as pollutants in agricultural soils is increasingly alarming, presenting significant threats to soil ecosystems. Given the widespread contamination of ecosystems by various types of MPs, including polystyrene (PS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and polyethylene (PE), it is crucial to understand their effects on agricultural productivity. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of different types of MPs (PS, PVC, and PE) on various aspects of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) growth with the addition of rice straw biochar (RSB). This study aimed to examine plant growth and biomass, photosynthetic pigments and gas exchange characteristics, oxidative stress indicators, and the response of various antioxidants (enzymatic and non-enzymatic) and their specific gene expression, proline metabolism, the AsA-GSH cycle, cellular fractionation in the plants and post-harvest soil properties. The research outcomes indicated that elevated levels of different types of MPs in the soil notably reduced plant growth and biomass, photosynthetic pigments, and gas exchange attributes. Different types of MPs also induced oxidative stress, which caused an increase in various enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant compounds, gene expression and sugar content; notably, a significant increase in proline metabolism, AsA-GSH cycle, and pigmentation of cellular components was also observed. Favorably, the addition of RSB significantly increased plant growth and biomass, gas exchange characteristics, enzymatic and non-enzymatic compounds, and relevant gene expression while decreasing oxidative stress. In addition, RSB amendment decreased proline metabolism and AsA-GSH cycle in H. annuus plants, thereby enhancing cellular fractionation and improving post-harvest soil properties. These results open new avenues for sustainable agriculture practices and show great potential for resolving the urgent issues caused by microplastic contamination in agricultural soils.
微塑料（MPs）作为农业土壤中的污染物不断出现，对土壤生态系统构成了严重威胁。鉴于各种类型的 MPs（聚苯乙烯 PS、聚氯乙烯 PVC 和聚乙烯 PE 等）广泛污染生态系统，了解它们对农业生产力的影响至关重要。本研究旨在探讨不同类型的 MPs（PS、PVC 和 PE）对添加水稻秸秆生物炭（RSB）的向日葵（Helianthus annuus L.）生长各个方面的影响。本研究旨在研究植物生长和生物量、光合色素和气体交换特性、氧化应激指标以及各种抗氧化剂（酶和非酶）及其特定基因表达、脯氨酸代谢、ASA-GSH 循环、细胞分馏的响应在植物和收获后土壤性质。研究结果表明，土壤中不同类型 MPs 的含量升高显著降低了植物的生长和生物量、光合色素和气体交换特性。不同类型的 MPs 还诱导了氧化应激，导致各种酶和非酶抗氧化剂化合物、基因表达和糖含量增加；值得注意的是，还观察到脯氨酸代谢、ASA-GSH 循环和细胞成分的色素沉着显著增加。有利的是，RSB 的添加显著增加了植物的生长和生物量、气体交换特性、酶和非酶化合物以及相关基因表达，同时降低了氧化应激。此外，RSB 改良剂降低了 H. annuus 植物中的脯氨酸代谢和 AsA-GSH 循环，从而增强了细胞分馏并改善了收获后土壤性质。这些结果为可持续农业实践开辟了新途径，并展示了解决农业土壤中微塑料污染所带来的紧迫问题的巨大潜力。
