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Updated: May 25, 2026

Separation and Identification of Conventional Microplastics from Farmland Soils
Published on: March 21, 2025
Drought Amplifies Polymer-Specific Microplastic Toxicity in Maize by Reshaping Soil-Plant-Microbe Interactions
Hamra Tariq1, Ruiying Shi1, Weitao Liu1
1MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China.
Abstract:
Microplastics and drought are important costressors in agricultural systems, yet their polymer-specific interactions in soil-plant-microbe systems remain insufficiently understood. This study compared the effects of polyethylene (PE) and biodegradable poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) on maize under drought. Drought reduced maize biomass (59.5%) and gas exchange (transpiration by 36%, stomatal conductance by 80%). MPs intensified these effects, particularly under PBAT, where transpiration declined by 86% and biomass reduction reached 81%. Under drought, PBAT also enhanced oxidative stress. In soil nitrogen dynamics, PBAT increased nitrate under drought by 16%, reflecting enhanced nitrification and reduced plant N uptake linked to microbial responses to biodegradable carbon inputs, whereas PE showed no such increase. Both MPs suppressed urease activity, indicating disrupted N transformation. Rhizosphere metabolomics and microbial analyses revealed shifts in carbon metabolism and drought-tolerant microbial taxa under combined stress. Overall, drought was the dominant stressor, while polymer type modulated soil-plant-microbe interactions and stress responses.
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