The increasing presence of microplastics (MPs) and cadmium (Cd) in agricultural soils represents an emerging environmental challenge, necessitating urgent investigation due to their potential synergistic effects on soil and plant health. This study investigated how polyethylene microplastics (PE-MPs) affect Cd behavior in soil, focusing on both their individual and combined impacts on soil pH, Cd bioavailability, plant growth, and nutrient dynamics. MPs can act as carriers of Cd, enhancing its mobility within the soil–plant system. To achieve this, a pot experiment was conducted using soils treated with different doses of PE MPs (0%, 1%, and 2%, w/w) and Cd (20 mg Cd kg⁻¹). Soil pH, DTPA-extractable Cd, plant growth parameters, Cd accumulation in roots and shoots, and mineral nutrient concentrations were measured. The results indicated that while Cd alone did not significantly alter soil pH, increasing MP doses statistically reduced soil pH and enhanced Cd bioavailability, with DTPA-extractable Cd rising by 14.4% to 25.4%. The combined application of MPs and Cd resulted in a 38% reduction in root yield and a 32% decrease in above-ground biomass. The presence of MPs exacerbated Cd uptake, leading to significantly higher Cd accumulation in both roots and shoots compared to Cd application alone. Moreover, the combined presence of MPs and Cd disrupted the nutrient uptake mechanisms, as evidenced by significant reductions in nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations in root and shoot tissues. These results indicate that MPs and Cd together disrupt soil chemical stability and compromise plant nutritional status. Thus, our findings emphasize that MPs not only serve as physical pollutants but also as vectors that intensify heavy metal contamination risks in agricultural ecosystems. Graphical Abstract

This study investigates the contamination of roadside soils by heavy metals (Pb, Zn, Ni, and Mo) along the Tashkent-Termiz International M-39 highway, utilizing indices such as the Enrichment Factor (EF), Geo-accumulation Index (Igeo), and Pollution Load Index (PLI). Soil samples collected at 21...

Co-occurrence of heavy metals and plastic-derived pollutants represents a novel challenge for agroecosystem sustainability, yet the mechanistic interplay between biochar (BC) amendments, microplastics (MPs) and cadmium (Cd) remains largely unresolved. A controlled greenhouse factorial experiment arranged in a completely randomized factorial design with six replicates per treatment was conducted to elucidate the BC-MPs-Cd interactions in a loamy slightly neutral soil cultivated with wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.). Treatments included two Cd levels (0, 10 mg kg ⁻¹ ), three MPs doses (0, 1, 2% w/w) and two BC rates (0, 1% w/w). BC application markedly increased soil pH (up to 8.11) and organic matter, while reducing DTPA-extractable Cd by up to 36% under Cd10MP2, indicative of pH-driven sorption and precipitation processes. MPs, in contrast, enhanced Cd mobility in a dose-dependent manner in BC-free soils. Elevated Cd bioavailability under Cd10 + MPs treatments resulted in substantial increases in shoot and grain Cd concentrations (20.2 and 4.00 mg kg ⁻¹ , respectively) and concomitant reductions in biomass and grain yield (15–26% decreases), whereas BC partially mitigated these effects by lowering tissue Cd accumulation (~ 12% reduction). Nitrogen dynamics remained largely unaffected, while Zn availability exhibited secondary yet significant shifts. PCA revealed distinct clustering along Cd mobility versus plant performance axes, reflecting the contrasting regulatory roles of BC and MPs. Overall, BC functioned as a robust chemical buffer against Cd stress even under MPs presence, whereas MPs exacerbated Cd bioavailability and phytotoxicity. These findings provide critical insights into multi-contaminant interactions and underscore the necessity of integrated remediation strategies in contaminated agricultural soils. Graphical Abstract

Bu çalışmada, sera koşullarında ekmeklik ve makarnalık buğday çeşitlerine farklı Fe form (FeSO4.7H2O; Fe-EDTA; Fe-EDDHA) ve uygulama şekillerinin (toprak, yaprak ve toprak+yaprak) tane Fe konsantrasyonuna olan etkisi araştırılmıştır. Elde edilen sonuçlara göre; topraktan (0 ve 5 mg Fe kg-1), yapraktan (%0.2 Fe) , toprak + yapraktan (0 ve 5 mg Fe kg-1 toprak + %0.2 Fe yaprak) farklı Fe formu (özellikle Fe-EDTA ve FeSO4) uygulamalarının ekmeklik ve makarnalık buğday çeşitlerinin kuru madde verimi, tane verimi ve 1000 tane ağırlıkları ile tane Fe konsantrasyonlarında istatiksel (p<0.05) olarak önemli düzeyde artışlara neden olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Ekmeklik buğday çeşidinin kontrol uygulamasında tane Fe konsantrasyonu 29.2 mg kg-1 iken, toprak+yapraktan Fe uygulamasıyla tane Fe konsantrasyonu sıra ile FeSO4 formunda 44.3 mg kg-1 (%51.7 artış), Fe-EDTA formunda 43.7 mg kg-1 (%53.4 artış), Fe-EDDHA formunda ise 44.8 mg kg-1’a (%49.6 artış) çıkmıştır. Uygulama şekilleri bakımından tane Fe konsantrasyonları değerlendirildiğinde, toprak+yaprak uygulamasının diğer uygulamalara (toprak, yaprak) göre ekmeklik ve makarnalık buğday çeşitlerinin tane Fe konsantrasyonlarında daha fazla artışa neden olduğu görülmüştür. Sonuç olarak FeSO4 ve Fe-EDTA formlarının toprak+yaprak uygulamaları ile ekmeklik ve makarnalık buğday çeşitlerinin hem verim parametreleri hem de tane Fe konsantrasyonlarında önemli düzeyde artışa neden olduğu ortaya çıkmıştır.

Nitrogen (N) leaching from agricultural soils is a global problem with negative effects on both human health and the environment. Efforts should be made to increase the efficiency of use of plant nutrients and minimize N losses from terrestrial ecosystems to aquatic ecosystems. In this study, the effects of different doses (%0, %1 and %2) of biochar obtained from corn cob and rice husk biomass, which are agricultural production residues, at three different temperatures, on ammonium (NH4+) and nitrate (NO3-) leaching in a coarse-textured soil were investigated. Polyethylene (PE) columns with a diameter of 70 mm and a height of 20 cm were used in the study, which was carried out in three replications according to the randomized plots experimental design. Total nitrogen (27 kg N da-1) and water amounts (969 mm) used for 6 tons da-1 yield of sugar beet were applied. Total water was given to each column in equal volume using drip adjustment sets at one-week intervals, simulating 6 irrigation periods, and the leaked water was collected in each irrigation period and NO3- and NH4+ concentrations were determined. Applications of 1 and 2 doses of corn and rice biochars obtained at three different pyrolysis temperatures caused a significant decrease in NH4+ concentrations leaching from the column. Similarly, biochar applications (especially 2% dose) caused a significant decrease in NO3- concentrations leaching from the column. While the total NO3- concentration leaching from the control columns was 149.23 mg kg-1, 2% dose of rice husk biochars at 300, 400 and 500 ℃ temperature applications caused a decrease in the total NO3- concentrations washed from the column by 51%, 55% and 51%, respectively. The results revealed that biochar applications significantly reduced nitrogen leaching from the soil.