Tyre wear particles (TWPs), generated from tyre-road abrasion, are a pervasive and under-regulated environmental pollutant, accounting for a significant share of global microplastic contamination. Recent estimates indicate that 1.3 million metric tons of TWPs are released annually in Europe, dispersing via atmospheric transport, stormwater runoff, and sedimentation to contaminate air, water, and soil. TWPs are composed of synthetic rubber polymers, reinforcing fillers, and chemical additives, including heavy metals such as zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) and organic compounds like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N′-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine (6PPD). These constituents confer persistence and bioaccumulative potential. While TWP toxicity in aquatic systems is well-documented, its ecological impacts on terrestrial environments, particularly in agricultural soils, remain less understood despite global soil loading rates exceeding 6.1 million metric tons annually. This review synthesizes global research on TWP sources, environmental fate, and ecotoxicological effects, with a focus on soil–plant systems. TWPs have been shown to alter key soil properties, including a 25% reduction in porosity and a 20–35% decrease in organic matter decomposition, disrupt microbial communities (with a 40–60% reduction in nitrogen-fixing bacteria), and induce phytotoxicity through both physical blockage of roots and Zn-induced oxidative stress. Human exposure occurs through inhalation (estimated at 3200 particles per day in urban areas), ingestion, and dermal contact, with epidemiological evidence linking TWPs to increased risks of respiratory, cardiovascular, and developmental disorders. Emerging remediation strategies are critically evaluated across three tiers: (1) source reduction using advanced tyre materials (up to 40% wear reduction in laboratory tests); (2) environmental interception through bioengineered filtration systems (60–80% capture efficiency in pilot trials); and (3) contaminant degradation via novel bioremediation techniques (up to 85% removal in recent studies). Key research gaps remain, including the need for long-term field studies, standardized mitigation protocols, and integrated risk assessments. This review emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in addressing TWP pollution and offers guidance on sustainable solutions to protect ecosystems and public health through science-driven policy recommendations.

The rhizospheric melatonin application-induced drought tolerance has been illuminated in various plant species, while the roles of the rhizosphere microbial community in this process are still unclear. Here, the diversity and functions of the rhizosphere microbial community and related physiological parameters were tested in barley under the rhizospheric melatonin application and drought. Exogenous melatonin improved plant performance under drought via increasing the activities of non-structural carbohydrate metabolism enzymes and activating the antioxidant enzyme systems in barley roots under drought. The 16S/ITS rRNA gene sequencing revealed that drought and melatonin altered the compositions of the microbiome. Exogenous melatonin increased the relative abundance of the bacterial community in carbohydrate and carboxylate degradation, while decreasing the relative abundance in the pathways of fatty acid and lipid degradation and inorganic nutrient metabolism under drought. These results suggest that the effects of melatonin on rhizosphere microbes and nutrient condition need to be considered in its application for crop drought-resistant cultivation.

Drought stress often occurs concurrently with heat stress, yet the interacting effect of high vapor pressure deficit (VPD) and soil drying on the physiology of potato plants remains poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the physiological and growth responses of potatoes to progressive soil drying under varied VPDs. Potato plants were grown either in four separate climate-controlled greenhouse cells with different VPD levels (viz., 0.70, 1.06, 1.40, and 2.12 kPa, respectively) or under a rainout shelter in the field. The VPD of each greenhouse cell was caused by two air temperature levels (23 and 30 °C) combined with two relative humidity levels (50 and 70%), and the VPD of the field was natural conditions. Irrigation treatments were commenced three or four weeks after planting in greenhouse cells or fields, respectively. The results indicated that soil water deficits limited leaf gas exchange and shoot dry matter (DM_shoot) of plants while increasing the concentration of abscisic acid (ABA) in the leaf and xylem, as well as water use efficiency (WUE) across all VPD levels. High VPD decreased stomatal conductance (g_s) but increased transpiration rate (T_r). High VPD increased the threshold of soil water for T_r began to decrease, while the soil water threshold for g_s depended on temperature due to the varied ABA response to temperature. High VPD decreased leaf water potential, leaf area, and DM_shoot, which exacerbated the inhibition of soil drying to plant growth. Across the well-watered plants in both experiments, negative linear relationships of g_s and WUE to VPD and positive linear relations between T_r and VPD were found. The results provide some novel information for developing mechanistic models simulating crop WUE and improving irrigation scheduling in future arid climates.

Salinity stress poses a major obstacle to agricultural productivity. Employing plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) has attracted significant attention due to its potential to improve plant development in challenging conditions. Yet, additional investigation is essential to fully understand the potential of PGPR in mitigating salinity stress, especially in field applications. Hence, this study investigated the resistance mechanisms of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) under salt stress with PGPR application through a field experiment with four treatments: normal soybean planting (NN), normal planting + PGPR (NP), salt stress planting (SN), and salt stress planting + PGPR (SP). This research investigated how applying PGPR under salt stress influences soybean photosynthetic traits, osmotic regulation, rhizosphere microbial communities, and yield quality. The results demonstrated that salt stress enhanced leaf temperature and significantly reduced the leaf area index, SPAD value, stomatal conductance, photosynthetic rate, and transpiration rate of soybeans. Compared to SN treatment, SP treatment significantly improved the stomatal conductance, photosynthetic rate, and transpiration rate by 10.98%, 16.28%, and 35.59%, respectively. Salt stress substantially increased sodium (Na⁺) concentration and Na⁺/K⁺ ratio in leaves, roots, and grains while reducing potassium (K⁺) concentration in roots and leaves. Under salinity stress, PGPR application significantly minimized Na⁺ concentration in leaves and enhanced K⁺ concentration in leaves, roots, and grains by 47.05%, 25.72%, and 14.48%, respectively. PGPR application boosted carbon assimilation (starch synthesis) by enhancing the activities of sucrose synthase, fructokinase, and ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase. It improved physiological parameters and increased soybean yield by 32.57% compared to SN treatment. Additionally, PGPR enhanced antioxidant enzyme activities, including glutathione reductase, peroxidase, ascorbate peroxidase, and monodehydroascorbate reductase, reducing oxidative damage from salt stress. Analysis of rhizosphere microbial communities revealed that PGPR application enriched beneficial bacterial phyla such as Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Nitrospirae, and Patescibacteria and fungal genera like Metarhizium. These microbial shifts likely contributed to improved nutrient cycling and plant–microbe interactions, further enhancing soybean resilience to salinity. This study demonstrates that PGPR enhances soybean growth, microbial diversity, and salt tolerance under salinity stress, while future efforts should optimize formulations, explore synergies, and scale up for sustainable productivity.

Abiotic stresses disrupt redox homeostasis and reduce crop productivity. Antioxidant networks support resilience by limiting excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) and maintaining redox signalling for stress perception, gene expression, and metabolic reprogramming. We summarize advances (2000–2025) in ROS generation, detoxification mechanisms, and signalling across organelles, including chloroplasts, mitochondria, peroxisomes, and the apoplast. This includes compartmentalized enzymes—superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), and glutathione reductase (GR)—as well as the peroxiredoxin–thioredoxin system and non-enzymatic buffers like ascorbate, glutathione, tocopherols, carotenoids, and flavonoids. We uniquely synthesize these findings in a compartment-resolved “redox rheostat” model, linking ROS concentration–time windows (signaling vs. damage) to antioxidant network design (kinetic tiers, compartmentation, and trade-offs) and identifying intervention points for breeding, genome editing, and field-scale priming. We emphasize constraints, such as NADPH supply and antioxidant recycling capacity, that lead to context-dependent outcomes. We evaluate omics, transgenic strategies, genome editing (CRISPR and Cas systems), exogenous applications, and plant–microbe associations. This synthesis clarifies how antioxidant systems protect photosynthetic and respiratory machinery while supporting signalling, thus outlining routes to climate-resilient, yield-stable crops across varied environments and stresses.