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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.
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
|May 23, 2026
Summary
Drought severely impacts maize, with microplastics like polyethylene (PE) and polybutylene adipate-co-terephthalate (PBAT) worsening stress. PBAT intensified drought effects, altering soil nitrogen dynamics and microbial communities more than PE.
Area of Science:
- Agricultural Science
- Environmental Science
- Soil Science
Background:
- Microplastics (MPs) and drought are significant co-stressors in agriculture.
- Understanding polymer-specific interactions in soil-plant-microbe systems under combined stress is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the effects of polyethylene (PE) and biodegradable poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) on maize plants under drought conditions.
- To investigate the impact of these microplastics on soil nitrogen dynamics and microbial communities.
Main Methods:
- Maize was grown under drought conditions with either PE or PBAT microplastics.
- Measurements included plant biomass, gas exchange, oxidative stress markers, soil nitrate levels, urease activity, rhizosphere metabolomics, and microbial community analysis.
Main Results:
- Drought significantly reduced maize biomass and gas exchange.
- Microplastics intensified drought stress, with PBAT causing greater reductions in transpiration and biomass, and increasing oxidative stress.
- PBAT altered soil nitrogen dynamics, increasing nitrate levels under drought, while both MPs suppressed urease activity.
- Rhizosphere analyses revealed shifts in carbon metabolism and microbial taxa adapted to drought.
Conclusions:
- Drought is the primary stressor, but microplastic type significantly modulates plant and soil responses.
- Biodegradable PBAT can exacerbate drought stress and alter soil nitrogen cycling differently than conventional PE.
- Microplastics disrupt soil functions and influence microbial community structure under drought, with implications for agricultural sustainability.
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