%0 Journal Article
%T Polystyrene nanoplastics in soil impair drought priming-induced low temperature tolerance in wheat.
%A Wang L
%A Sui Y
%A Zhang P
%A Wang Z
%A Li S
%A Liu T
%A Li X
%J Plant Physiol Biochem
%V 210
%N 0
%D 2024 May 18
%M 38653097
%F 5.437
%R 10.1016/j.plaphy.2024.108643
%X Drought priming is known to enhance plant low temperature tolerance, whereas polystyrene nanoplastic contamination exerts detrimental effects on plant growth. This study investigates the less-explored influence of nanoplastic contamination on cold stress tolerance in drought-primed plants. We compared the photosynthetic carbon assimilation, carbohydrate metabolism, reactive oxygen species metabolism, and grain yield between the non-primed and drought-primed wheat grown in both nanoplastic-contaminated and healthy soils. Our results reveal that the beneficial effects of drought priming on photosynthetic carbon assimilation and the efficiency of the "water-water" cycle were compromised in the presence of nanoplastics (nPS). Additionally, nPS exposure disturbed carbohydrate metabolism, which impeded source-to-sink transport of sugar and resulted in reduced grain yield in drought-primed plants under low temperature conditions. These findings unveil the suppression of nPS on drought-primed low-temperature tolerance (DPLT) in wheat plants, suggesting an intricate interplay between the induction of stress tolerance and responses to nPS contamination. The study raises awareness about a potential challenge for future crop production.