Next Article in Journal
Large-Scale Individual Plastic Greenhouse Extraction Using Deep Learning and High-Resolution Remote Sensing Imagery
Previous Article in Journal
Use of Spent Mushroom Substrates in Radish (Raphanus ssp.) Microgreens Cultivation
 
 
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Polypropylene Microplastics and Cadmium: Unveiling the Key Impacts of Co-Pollution on Wheat–Soil Systems from Multiple Perspectives

1
School of Materials Engineering, Shanxi College of Technology, Shuozhou 036000, China
2
College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
3
Key Laboratory of Green Utilization of Critical Non-Metallic Mineral Resources, Ministry of Education, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
4
State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
5
College of Resources and Environment, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu, Jinzhong 030801, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Agronomy 2025, 15(8), 2013; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15082013
Submission received: 21 July 2025 / Revised: 13 August 2025 / Accepted: 20 August 2025 / Published: 21 August 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Agroecology Innovation: Achieving System Resilience)

Abstract

The interaction between microplastics (MPs) and heavy metals and their ecological risks to the soil–plant system has attracted widespread attention. This study explored the effects of polypropylene (PP) alone or combined with cadmium (Cd) pollution on wheat seed germination, plant growth, and the soil environment from multiple perspectives through seed germination experiments and pot experiments. The results of the seed germination experiment showed that the addition of 50 mg L−1 PP could promote the growth of seeds. However, medium and high concentrations of PP had significant inhibitory effects on seeds. For PP + Cd co-pollution, the addition of 50 mg L−1 PP could partially alleviate the stress of Cd alone. However, with the increase in PP concentration, the co-pollution showed stronger toxicity to seeds. Moreover, the synergistic effect of PP and Cd was greater than the antagonistic effect; both of them aggravated the stress on wheat. The results of the pot experiment showed that the soil microenvironment was significantly affected by PP alone or combined with Cd pollution. It was manifested as reducing soil moisture and pH, affecting soil nutrient cycling, and inhibiting the activities of soil enzymes (except for catalase). In addition, the MPs and Cd significantly affected the physiological characteristics of plants. Specifically, the addition of 50 mg L−1 PP alone promoted or had no significant effect on wheat growth. However, with the increase in PP concentration, the biomass and chlorophyll content of plants decreased significantly, while carotenoids, oxidative damage, and antioxidant enzyme activities increased significantly. Moreover, PP + Cd co-pollution led to stronger phytotoxicity. Moreover, PP exposure caused an increase in plant shoot and root Cd concentrations, promoting Cd transport from roots to shoots. Correlation heat maps and RDA analysis revealed that plant Cd concentration was significantly correlated with soil environmental factors and plant physiological indicators. Finally, the results of the linear model (%) of relative importance indicated that pH and MDA content were important soil and plant variables affecting the increase in Cd concentration in plant tissues. This study is of great significance for evaluating the ecological risks of MPs-Cd composite pollution.
Keywords: polypropylene; cadmium; wheat; soil properties; plant toxicity polypropylene; cadmium; wheat; soil properties; plant toxicity

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Zhang, Z.; He, H.; Chang, N.; Duan, C. Polypropylene Microplastics and Cadmium: Unveiling the Key Impacts of Co-Pollution on Wheat–Soil Systems from Multiple Perspectives. Agronomy 2025, 15, 2013. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15082013

AMA Style

Zhang Z, He H, Chang N, Duan C. Polypropylene Microplastics and Cadmium: Unveiling the Key Impacts of Co-Pollution on Wheat–Soil Systems from Multiple Perspectives. Agronomy. 2025; 15(8):2013. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15082013

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zhang, Zhiqin, Haoran He, Nan Chang, and Chengjiao Duan. 2025. "Polypropylene Microplastics and Cadmium: Unveiling the Key Impacts of Co-Pollution on Wheat–Soil Systems from Multiple Perspectives" Agronomy 15, no. 8: 2013. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15082013

APA Style

Zhang, Z., He, H., Chang, N., & Duan, C. (2025). Polypropylene Microplastics and Cadmium: Unveiling the Key Impacts of Co-Pollution on Wheat–Soil Systems from Multiple Perspectives. Agronomy, 15(8), 2013. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15082013

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop