[Adverse Effects and Underlying Mechanisms of Soil Microplastics on Crops and Its Preventive Strategies].

Microplastics （MPs）, as a type of emerging environmental pollutant with a particle size < 5 mm, have been frequently detected in environmental matrices. MPs pollution in soils has been attracting the scientific community due to the increasing contaminant areas and continuous accumulation, leading to a high risk to crop production. In addition, recent studies have observed that long-term exposure to MPs could seriously harm the soil ecosystem because of their fine particle size and persistence in soils.

Poly-γ-glutamic acid chelates chromium (III) and copper (II), alleviating their toxicity in cucumber and affecting rhizosphere bacterial community assembly.

The accumulation of chromium (Cr) and copper (Cu) in soil during industrialization and modernization poses an extreme threat to crops. Poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA) has the potential to stabilize heavy metals in soil through chelation because of the numerous carboxyl groups in its side chain. The rhizosphere microbiome contributes to plant detoxification by participating in heavy metal passivation.