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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Plant Abiotic Stress
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1544298
This article is part of the Research Topic Impact of Microplastics on Soil Health and Plant Physiology in Agricultural Ecosystems View all 3 articles
The fate of biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics in maize: impacts on cellular ion fluxes and plant growth
Provisionally accepted- 1 Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, China
- 2 Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China
The widespread application of biodegradable microplastics (MPs) in recent years has resulted in a significant increase in their accumulation in the environment, posing potential threats to ecosystems. Thus, it is imperative to evaluate the distribution and transformation of biodegradable MPs in crops due to the utilization of wastewater containing MPs for irrigation and plastic films, which have led to a rising concentration of biodegradable MPs in agricultural soils. The present study analyzed the uptake and transformation of polylactic acid (PLA) MPs in maize. Seed germination and hydroponic experiments were conducted over a period of 5 to 20 days, during which the plants were exposed to PLA MPs at concentrations of 0, 1, 10, and 100 mg L -1 . Low concentrations of PLA MPs (1 mg L -1 and 10 mg L -1 ) significantly enhanced maize seed germination rate by 52.6%, increased plant shoot height by 16.6% and 16.9%, respectively, as well as elevated aboveground biomass dry weight by133.7% and 53.3%, respectively. Importantly, depolymerization of PLA MPs was observed in the nutrient solution, resulting in the formation of small-sized PLA MPs (< 2 μm). Interestingly, further transformation occurred within the xylem sap and apoplast fluid (after 12 h) with a transformation rate reaching 13.1% and 27.2%, respectively. The enhanced plant growth could be attributed to the increase in dissolved organic carbon resulting from the depolymerization of PLA MPs. Additionally, the transformation of PLA MPs mediated pH and increase in K + flux (57.2%, 72 h), leading to acidification of the cell wall and subsequent cell expansion. Our findings provide evidence regarding the fate of PLA MPs in plants and their interactions with plants, thereby enhancing our understanding of the potential impacts associated with biodegradable plastics.
Keywords: Biodegradable microplastics, Polylactic Acid, transformation, distribution, biological effects
Received: 12 Dec 2024; Accepted: 06 Feb 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Bao, Wang, Zeng, Yue, Xiao, Chen and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Feiran Chen, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.