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Effect of microplastics, cadmium, and their combination on wheat seed germination
Received:May 10, 2022  
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KeyWord:wheat;microplastics;cadmium;compound pollution;seed germination;seedling growth
Author NameAffiliationE-mail
WANG Xiaojing College of Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and the Agro-Environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Yangling 712100, China  
YANG Yizhe Cultivated Land Quality and Agricultural Environment Protection Workstation of Shaanxi Province, Xi'an 710000, China  
CAO Yang College of Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and the Agro-Environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Yangling 712100, China  
ZHANG Dongming College of Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and the Agro-Environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Yangling 712100, China  
DAI Yunchao College of Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and the Agro-Environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Yangling 712100, China  
Lü Jialong College of Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and the Agro-Environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Yangling 712100, China ljlll@nwsuaf.edu.cn 
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Abstract:
      To understand the effects of microplastics, cadmium, and their combination on germination and growth of hydroponic wheat, two common microplastics[polystyrene(mPS) and polyvinyl chloride(mPVC) (] 0, 100, 500 mg·L-1, and 1 000 mg·L-1), heavy metal cadmium (Cd) (0, 2, 10 mg·L-1, and 50 mg·L-1), and wheat seeds in agricultural soil were selected for seed germination testing. The results showed that overall, mPS and mPVC promoted wheat seed germination at low concentrations, but inhibited wheat seed germination at medium and high concentrations. mPVC promoted the germination index, germination potential, and average germination rate of wheat seeds, whereas, mPS promoted wheat biomass. Cd promoted wheat seed germination at a low concentration(2 mg · L-1), but inhibited wheat seed germination at medium and high concentrations(10 mg·L-1 and 50 mg·L-1). The effect on wheat buds and roots followed the rule of low promotion and high inhibition. When the combined effect of microplastics and cadmium was tested, compared with the control group, low concentration of Cd(2 mg·L-1) -microplastic inhibited wheat seed germination, but had almost no effect on wheat seed germination. Low concentration of mPVC combined with Cd had synergistic effects on wheat seed germination index, vigor index, average germination rate, root bud growth, and water content. In summary, the combined microplastic-cadmium pollution had antagonistic effects on wheat seed germination potential, vigor index, bud length, and biomass, thereby indicating that the combination of the two pollutants had a reduced toxicity compared to that of either pollutant.