The dosage- and size-dependent effects of micro- and nanoplastics in lettuce roots and leaves at the growth, photosynthetic, and metabolomics levels.
Plant Physiol Biochem
; 208: 108531, 2024 Mar.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38513516
ABSTRACT
The occurrence of microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) in soils potentially induce morphological, physiological, and biochemical alterations in plants. The present study investigated the effects of MPs/NPs on lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. var. capitata) plants by focusing on (i) four different particle sizes of polyethylene micro- and nanoplastics, at (ii) four concentrations. Photosynthetic activity, morphological changes in plants, and metabolomic shifts in roots and leaves were investigated. Our findings revealed that particle size plays a pivotal role in influencing various growth traits of lettuce (biomass, color segmentation, greening index, leaf area, and photosynthetic activity), physiological parameters (including maximum quantum yield - Fv/Fmmax, or quantum yield in the steady-state Fv/FmLss, NPQLss, RfdLss, FtLss, FqLss), and metabolomic signatures. Smaller plastic sizes demonstrated a dose-dependent impact on aboveground plant structures, resulting in an overall elicitation of biosynthetic processes. Conversely, larger plastic size had a major impact on root metabolomics, leading to a negative modulation of biosynthetic processes. Specifically, the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, phytohormone crosstalk, and the metabolism of lipids and fatty acids were among the most affected processes. In addition, nitrogen-containing compounds accumulated following plastic treatments. Our results highlighted a tight correlation between the qPCR analysis of genes associated with the soil nitrogen cycle (such as NifH, NirK, and NosZ), available nitrogen pools in soil (including NO3- and NH4), N-containing metabolites and morpho-physiological parameters of lettuce plants subjected to MPs/NPs. These findings underscore the intricate relationship between specific plastic contaminations, nitrogen dynamics, and plant performance.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Lactuca
/
Microplásticos
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Plant Physiol Biochem
Asunto de la revista:
BIOQUIMICA
/
BOTANICA
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Italia