TY  - JOUR
AB  - Societal Impact Statement: Winter wheat is one of the most important crops in the world. Microplastics, as an emerging pollutant, are widespread in agricultural soils due to various modern agricultural practices and can have adverse impacts on agricultural soils and plant growth. Herein, we investigated the effects of 10 types of microplastics on the properties of three agricultural soil types and the growth of winter wheat. This study contributes insights toward the conservation of agricultural soils and potential wheat yield responses to microplastic. Understanding the mechanisms that underpin the differences in responses to this pollutant class is of great importance for management recommendations. Summary: Microplastics (MPs) (size < 5 mm) are increasingly recognized as anthropogenic contaminants that severely affect terrestrial ecosystems. These particles are always detected as a mixture of various polymer types and shapes. However, we have limited knowledge of the effect of combined MPs on plant–soil systems. To address this, we selected 10 types of MP, applied to three soil types singly and in combination along an increasing gradient of 1, 2, 5, 8, and 10 MP types at a content of 0.4% (w/v). After 8 weeks of pre-incubation, winter wheat (TOBAK) was grown in each pot for another 8 weeks. Shoot and root biomass, soil aggregation, and carbon and nitrogen content were measured. The effects of the same MP on both soil and plant properties were drastically different (in size and effect direction) in the different soil types. However, no clear patterns were observed along an increasing number of microplastic types, suggesting that knowing the number of microplastic types in a sample, at equity of overall concentration, does not help predict effects. In contrast, our findings reveal the complex effects of multiple MPs on the soil–plant system and highlight that soil properties need to be taken into consideration when studying MP effects on terrestrial systems.
AU  - Chen, H.*
AU  - Ingraffia, R.*
AU  - Schloter, M.
AU  - Brüggemann, N.*
AU  - Rillig, M.C.*
C1  - 71797
C2  - 56154
TI  - Effects of multiple microplastic types on growth of winter wheat and soil properties vary in different agricultural soils.
JO  - Plants People Planet
PY  - 2024
SN  - 2572-2611
ER  - 

TY  - JOUR
AB  - Societal Impact Statement: Understanding domestication's impact on crop root traits and interactions with soil microbiomes is vital for improving crop resilience and agricultural sustainability. Using this knowledge to enhance root systems, reduce chemical inputs, and adapt crops to environmental stress will help to increase global food production, promote eco-friendly farming, and mitigate the effects of climate change. Additionally, identifying microorganisms specific to plant species may help in biodiversity conservation. Advancing scientific understanding and educating future generations on the intricate relationships between plants, soil, and microorganisms is integral to developing innovative, sustainable agricultural practices and improved food security. Summary: Domestication and intensive management practices have significantly shaped characteristics of modern crops. However, our understanding of domestication's impact had mainly focused on aboveground plant traits, neglecting root and rhizospheric traits, as well as trait–trait interactions and root-microbial interactions. To address this knowledge gap, we grew modern (Hordeum vulgare L. var. Barke) and wild barley (Hordeum spontaneum K. Koch var. spontaneum) in large rhizoboxes. We manipulated the soil microbiome by comparing disturbed (sterilized soil inoculum, DSM) versus non-disturbed (non-sterilized inoculum, NSM) microbiome. Results showed that modern barley grew faster and increased organic-carbon exudation (OCEXU) compared to wild barley. Both barley species exhibited accelerated root growth and enhanced OCEXU under DSM, indicating their ability to partially compensate and exploit the soil resources independently of microbes if need be. Plant trait network analysis revealed that modern barley had a denser, larger, and less modular network of microbes than wild barley indicating domestication's impact on trait–trait coordination. In addition, the relative abundance of bacteria did not vary between wild and modern barley rhizospheres; however, species-specific unique bacteria were identified, with stronger effects under DSM. Overall, our findings highlight domestication-driven shifts in root traits, trait coordination, and their modulation by the soil microbiome.
AU  - Kumar, A.*
AU  - Kuznetsova, O.*
AU  - Gschwendtner, S.
AU  - Chen, H.*
AU  - Alonso-Crespo, I.M.*
AU  - Yusuf, M.A.*
AU  - Schulz, S.
AU  - Bonkowski, M.*
AU  - Schloter, M.
AU  - Temperton, V.M.*
C1  - 71263
C2  - 55967
CY  - 111 River St, Hoboken 07030-5774, Nj Usa
TI  - Shifts in plant functional trait dynamics in relation to soil microbiome in modern and wild barley.
JO  - Plants People Planet
PB  - Wiley
PY  - 2024
SN  - 2572-2611
ER  -