Effect of Plastics (Geotextiles) on Heavy Metal Accumulation by Industrial Hemp Plants Cultivated in Polluted Mediterranean Soils
An attempt was made to simulate the conditions prevailing in an agricultural crop to investigate whether and how geotextile microplastics alter the movement and accumulation of heavy metals in plants. For this purpose, a pot experiment, lasting 149 days, was carried out on soil obtained from a rural...
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2025-05-01
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| author | Dimitrios Alexiadis John Bethanis Sotiria G. Papadimou Edoardo Barbieri Rafaella Vogia Eftihia Tatsi Pavlos Tziourrou Eleni Tsaliki Evangelia E. Golia |
| author_facet | Dimitrios Alexiadis John Bethanis Sotiria G. Papadimou Edoardo Barbieri Rafaella Vogia Eftihia Tatsi Pavlos Tziourrou Eleni Tsaliki Evangelia E. Golia |
| author_sort | Dimitrios Alexiadis |
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| description | An attempt was made to simulate the conditions prevailing in an agricultural crop to investigate whether and how geotextile microplastics alter the movement and accumulation of heavy metals in plants. For this purpose, a pot experiment, lasting 149 days, was carried out on soil obtained from a rural area, where pieces of a geotextile in mesoplastic dimensions, of the same chemical composition as that used by farmers in the Greek countryside, were added. Furthermore, metal solutions (Cu, Zn, Cd) were incorporated in the pots at two levels, and incubation prior to planting was carried out for two weeks. Then, industrial hemp was cultivated, while continuous measurements of its horticultural characteristics and of the levels of metals moved from the soil to the plant were made. The plants appeared to be highly resistant to the rather harsh growing conditions, and furthermore, it was observed that the cumulative metal capacity of cannabis was enhanced in most cases. The simultaneous presence of metals and geotextile (plastic) fragments enhanced the amount of Zn and Cd transfer into the soil-to-plant system. Hemp plants exhibited strong resilience abilities in the particularly stressful soil environment, possibly developing defense mechanisms. The experiments are particularly encouraging as they prove that simple and habitual practices in cultivated soils that lead to post-weather erosion of the geotextile may contribute positively in terms of remediation methods for heavy-metal-laden soils, as they indirectly help the plant to remove larger amounts of metal elements. The experiments should be intensified on a wider range of soils of different soil reactions and particle sizes and, of course, should be carried out under real field conditions in Mediterranean soil environments. |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
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| series | International Journal of Plant Biology |
| spelling | doaj-art-1119e90b40da4d94aee236aa72ee1ffb2025-08-20T03:27:25ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Plant Biology2037-01642025-05-011625310.3390/ijpb16020053Effect of Plastics (Geotextiles) on Heavy Metal Accumulation by Industrial Hemp Plants Cultivated in Polluted Mediterranean SoilsDimitrios Alexiadis0John Bethanis1Sotiria G. Papadimou2Edoardo Barbieri3Rafaella Vogia4Eftihia Tatsi5Pavlos Tziourrou6Eleni Tsaliki7Evangelia E. Golia8Soil Science Laboratory, School of Agriculture, Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Environment, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University Campus, 54124 Thessaloniki, GreeceSoil Science Laboratory, School of Agriculture, Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Environment, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University Campus, 54124 Thessaloniki, GreeceSoil Science Laboratory, School of Agriculture, Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Environment, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University Campus, 54124 Thessaloniki, GreeceSoil Science Laboratory, School of Agriculture, Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Environment, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University Campus, 54124 Thessaloniki, GreeceSoil Science Laboratory, School of Agriculture, Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Environment, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University Campus, 54124 Thessaloniki, GreeceSoil Science Laboratory, School of Agriculture, Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Environment, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University Campus, 54124 Thessaloniki, GreeceSoil Science Laboratory, School of Agriculture, Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Environment, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University Campus, 54124 Thessaloniki, GreeceInstitute of Plant Breeding and Genetic Resources, Hellenic Agricultural Organization DIMITRA (ELGO Dimitra), 57001 Thessaloniki, GreeceSoil Science Laboratory, School of Agriculture, Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Environment, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University Campus, 54124 Thessaloniki, GreeceAn attempt was made to simulate the conditions prevailing in an agricultural crop to investigate whether and how geotextile microplastics alter the movement and accumulation of heavy metals in plants. For this purpose, a pot experiment, lasting 149 days, was carried out on soil obtained from a rural area, where pieces of a geotextile in mesoplastic dimensions, of the same chemical composition as that used by farmers in the Greek countryside, were added. Furthermore, metal solutions (Cu, Zn, Cd) were incorporated in the pots at two levels, and incubation prior to planting was carried out for two weeks. Then, industrial hemp was cultivated, while continuous measurements of its horticultural characteristics and of the levels of metals moved from the soil to the plant were made. The plants appeared to be highly resistant to the rather harsh growing conditions, and furthermore, it was observed that the cumulative metal capacity of cannabis was enhanced in most cases. The simultaneous presence of metals and geotextile (plastic) fragments enhanced the amount of Zn and Cd transfer into the soil-to-plant system. Hemp plants exhibited strong resilience abilities in the particularly stressful soil environment, possibly developing defense mechanisms. The experiments are particularly encouraging as they prove that simple and habitual practices in cultivated soils that lead to post-weather erosion of the geotextile may contribute positively in terms of remediation methods for heavy-metal-laden soils, as they indirectly help the plant to remove larger amounts of metal elements. The experiments should be intensified on a wider range of soils of different soil reactions and particle sizes and, of course, should be carried out under real field conditions in Mediterranean soil environments.https://www.mdpi.com/2037-0164/16/2/53hemppotentially toxic elementsgeotextilephytoremediation |
| spellingShingle | Dimitrios Alexiadis John Bethanis Sotiria G. Papadimou Edoardo Barbieri Rafaella Vogia Eftihia Tatsi Pavlos Tziourrou Eleni Tsaliki Evangelia E. Golia Effect of Plastics (Geotextiles) on Heavy Metal Accumulation by Industrial Hemp Plants Cultivated in Polluted Mediterranean Soils International Journal of Plant Biology hemp potentially toxic elements geotextile phytoremediation |
| title | Effect of Plastics (Geotextiles) on Heavy Metal Accumulation by Industrial Hemp Plants Cultivated in Polluted Mediterranean Soils |
| title_full | Effect of Plastics (Geotextiles) on Heavy Metal Accumulation by Industrial Hemp Plants Cultivated in Polluted Mediterranean Soils |
| title_fullStr | Effect of Plastics (Geotextiles) on Heavy Metal Accumulation by Industrial Hemp Plants Cultivated in Polluted Mediterranean Soils |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effect of Plastics (Geotextiles) on Heavy Metal Accumulation by Industrial Hemp Plants Cultivated in Polluted Mediterranean Soils |
| title_short | Effect of Plastics (Geotextiles) on Heavy Metal Accumulation by Industrial Hemp Plants Cultivated in Polluted Mediterranean Soils |
| title_sort | effect of plastics geotextiles on heavy metal accumulation by industrial hemp plants cultivated in polluted mediterranean soils |
| topic | hemp potentially toxic elements geotextile phytoremediation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2037-0164/16/2/53 |
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