Microplastics in the rhizosphere of crop plants - effect on physical, chemical and microbial processes in soil (A06)

• Subject Area: Soil Sciences ; Microbial Ecology and Applied Microbiology
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 391977956

A06 deals with the effects of chemically complex and environmentally relevant MP particles in the soil-microbe-plant system with a special focus on changes in soil aggregation, soil chemistry and soil microbiology in the rhizosphere of crops. Based on FP1, the subproject addresses the question of which properties of environmentally relevant MP lead to changes in the rhizosphere and how these affect the companion plants such as maise and strawberries. In doing so, the sub-project emphasises comparing conventional MP with biodegradable plastics, whose effect on soil chemistry and soil microbiology could be considerably more significant. The 2nd FP is expected to yield findings that contribute to the ecotoxicological assessment of MP for microorganisms in soils and, therefore, for plants indirectly. In an SFB-wide soil mesocosm experiment, questions from project areas A, B and C will be investigated at the soil interface within the cross-sectional topics "migration-exposure probability" and "effects-aging".

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1357: MICROPLASTICS - Understanding the mechanisms and processes of biological effects, transport and formation: From model to complex systems as a basis for new solutions
• Applicant Institution: Universität Bayreuth
• Project Heads: Professorin Dr. Eva Lehndorff, since 10/2020; Professor Dr. Tillmann Lüders, since 10/2020