The distribution and impact of polystyrene nanoplastics on cucumber plants
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RESEARCH ARTICLE
The distribution and impact of polystyrene nanoplastics on cucumber plants Zhenxia Li 1,2
&
Qingfei Li 1,2 & Ruijing Li 1 & Junguo Zhou 1,2 & Guangyin Wang 1,2
Received: 17 June 2020 / Accepted: 16 November 2020 # Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Microplastic pollution in farmlands has become a source of major concern, but few previous studies have focused on the effect of microplastics on higher plants. In this study, the distribution of polystyrene nanoplastics (PSNPs) of four different particle sizes (100, 300, 500, and 700 nm) was investigated in cucumber plants, and their influence on physiological indexes of the root system and fruit quality was determined. The results showed that PSNPs initially accumulated in the root system before being transported to the aboveground parts of the plant. Finally, they were distributed in the leaves, flowers, and fruits, through the stems. The 300-nm plastic microspheres significantly increased root activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) and proline content of the roots. The results demonstrated that the environmental pressures caused by PSNPs of different particle sizes were different. The amount of soluble protein in cucumber fruits was significantly increased, and the levels of Mg, Ca, and Fe were significantly decreased by PSNPs of different particle sizes. Our findings provide a scientific basis for risk assessment of PSNP exposure in the soil–plant systems. Keywords Nanoplastics . Polystyrene . Cucumber . Distribution . Root system . Fruit quality
Introduction Since Thompson et al. (2004) discovered plastic fragments in marine water and sediments, as a new kind of environmental pollutant, microplastics have become a hot research topic in environmental science (Machado et al. 2018; Schmidt et al. 2018). There have been many studies on the source, abundance, environmental behavior, and ecological effects of microplastics in marine and tidal beach environments (Jambeck et al. 2015; Rocha-Santos and Duarte 2015; Al-Sid-Cheikh et al. 2018). Microplastics, other than being absorbed and accumulated in aquatic organisms and thus posing a serious threat to their health, can also be transferred into the human body through daily essential intakes such as food, which may lead to chronic Responsible Editor: Gangrong Shi * Zhenxia Li [email protected] 1
College of Horticulture and Landscape, Henan Institute of Science and Technology, Xinxiang 453003, Henan, China
2
Henan Province Engineering Research Center of Horticultural Plant Resource Utilization and Germplasm Enhancement, Xinxiang 453003, Henan, China
inflammation and increase the risk of cancer (Pannetier et al. 2020; Peng et al. 2020; Prata et al. 2019). Microplastic pollution in soil has become an emerging concern in recent years (Machado et al. 2018; Rillig et al. 2017). There are many sources of microplastics in soil, such as the wear of automobile tires (Wagner et al. 2018), the application of sewage sludge (Corradini et al. 2019) and sewage irrigation (Kalčíkov
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