In a recent study published in Scientific Reports, researchers Riti Thapar Kapoor and Mirza Hasanuzzaman investigated how agricultural soils contaminated with plastic waste impact cereal crops and how specific natural amendments can protect plant health. Plastic pollution has expanded rapidly across global ecosystems, creating severe agricultural challenges as synthetic particles accumulate in farm soils. When crops absorb these persistent materials through their root systems, their overall development, water retention, and physiological functions suffer significantly. The researchers focused on understanding how polyethylene terephthalate plastic particles disrupt wheat cultivation and whether applying organic biochar derived from fruit waste along with mineral silicon could successfully safeguard the plants.

The findings revealed that exposing wheat plants to plastic contamination severely impairs normal growth and cellular integrity. Specifically, the presence of plastic particles in the soil caused drastic reductions in root length, shoot height, fresh biomassBiomass is a complex biological organic or non-organic solid product derived from living or recently living organism and available naturally. Various types of wastes such as animal manure, waste paper, sludge and many industrial wastes are also treated as biomass because like natural biomass these More, and dry weight compared to healthy control plants. Furthermore, the stress triggered excessive generation of reactive oxygen species within plant tissues, leading to heightened lipid peroxidation, damaged cell membranes, and significant electrolyte leakage. Photosynthetic pigments also declined sharply under plastic stress, indicating that the contamination severely disrupts energy production and overall metabolic efficiency in the crops.

To combat these adverse effects, the application of jackfruit shell biochar combined with potassium silicate demonstrated remarkable protective benefits for the agricultural crops. When applied together to contaminated soil, these amendments dramatically restored plant growth parameters, achieving substantial increases in both fresh and dry weights compared to untreated, plastic-stressed plants. The soil amendments effectively improved relative water content and preserved essential pigment levels, allowing the plants to maintain efficient photosynthetic activity even in degraded soil environments.

At the biochemical level, the combined treatment successfully neutralized oxidative stress by strengthening internal plant defense systems. The cooperative action of biochar and silicon significantly decreased hydrogen peroxide levels, superoxide radical production, and electrolyte leakage, thereby protecting delicate cell membranes from degradation. Moreover, the treatment stimulated key antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, and glutathione reductase, which work collectively to scavenge harmful free radicals. Non-enzymatic antioxidants like ascorbic acid and reduced glutathione were also maintained at optimal levels to preserve cellular redox balance.

In addition to boosting antioxidant defenses, the combined soil amendments enhanced the cellular detoxification system that manages harmful metabolic byproducts. Glyoxalase enzyme activities increased markedly, preventing cellular toxicity and supporting sustainable plant development. The research highlights that converting agricultural waste into functional biochar and pairing it with mineral silicon provides a practical, eco-friendly strategy for mitigating plastic pollution in agricultural soils while promoting circular economy principles.

Source: Kapoor, R. T., & Hasanuzzaman, M. (2026). Combined application of biochar and silicon on physiological and antioxidant defense mechanism of wheat against plastic induced stress. Scientific Reports, 16, 77392.