Abstract
Abstract Background The beneficial use of nanoparticle silver or nanosilver may be confounded when its potent antimicrobial properties impact non-target members of natural microbiomes such as those present in soil or the plant rhizosphere. Agricultural soils are a likely sink for nanosilver due to its presence in agrochemicals and land-applied biosolids, but a complete assessment of nanosilver’s effects on this environment is lacking because the impact on the natural soil microbiome is not known. In a study assessing the use of nanosilver for phytopathogen control with maize, we analyzed the metatranscriptome of the maize rhizosphere and observed multiple unintended effects of exposure to 100 mg kg −1 nanosilver in soil during a growth period of 117 days. Results We found several unintended effects of nanosilver which could interfere with agricultural systems in the long term. Firstly, the archaea community was negatively impacted with a more than 30% decrease in relative abundance, and as such, their involvement in nitrogen cycling and specifically, nitrification, was compromised. Secondly, certain potentially phytopathogenic fungal groups showed significantly increased abundances, possibly due to the negative effects of nanosilver on bacteria exerting natural biocontrol against these fungi as indicated by negative interactions in a network analysis. Up to 5-fold increases in relative abundance have been observed for certain possibly phytopathogenic fungal genera. Lastly, nanosilver exposure also caused a direct physiological impact on maize as illustrated by increased transcript abundance of aquaporin and phytohormone genes, overall resulting in a stress level with the potential to yield hormetically stimulated plant root growth. Conclusions This study indicates the occurrence of significant unintended effects of nanosilver use on corn, which could turn out to be negative to crop productivity and ecosystem health in the long term. We therefore highlight the need to include the microbiome when assessing the risk associated with nano-enabled agriculture.
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Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
Nanosilver exposure in soil decreased the archaea community by more than 30% in relative abundance in the maize rhizosphere.
Zea maysNot reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“we analyzed the metatranscriptome of the maize rhizosphere and observed multiple unintended effects of exposure to 100 mg kg −1 nanosilver in soil during a growth period of 117 days”
e1“the archaea community was negatively impacted with a more than 30% decrease in relative abundance”
Claim · model-written summary
Nanosilver compromised the involvement of archaea in nitrogen cycling and nitrification, as the authors infer.
- Treatment
- nanosilvere0
- Outcome
- involvement in nitrogen cycling and specifically, nitrificatione2
- Direction
- compromisede2
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“we analyzed the metatranscriptome of the maize rhizosphere and observed multiple unintended effects of exposure to 100 mg kg −1 nanosilver in soil during a growth period of 117 days”
e2“as such, their involvement in nitrogen cycling and specifically, nitrification, was compromised”
Claim · model-written summary
Certain potentially phytopathogenic fungal groups showed significantly increased abundances after nanosilver exposure in maize rhizosphere soil.
- Treatment
- nanosilvere0
- Interactor
- potentially phytopathogenic fungal groupse3pathogen
- Outcome
- abundancese3
- Direction
- increasede3
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“we analyzed the metatranscriptome of the maize rhizosphere and observed multiple unintended effects of exposure to 100 mg kg −1 nanosilver in soil during a growth period of 117 days”
e3“certain potentially phytopathogenic fungal groups showed significantly increased abundances”
Claim · model-written summary
Relative abundance of certain possibly phytopathogenic fungal genera increased up to 5-fold after nanosilver exposure.
- Treatment
- nanosilvere0
- Interactor
- possibly phytopathogenic fungal generae4pathogen
- Outcome
- relative abundancee4
- Direction
- increasese4
- Value
- Up to 5-folde4
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“we analyzed the metatranscriptome of the maize rhizosphere and observed multiple unintended effects of exposure to 100 mg kg −1 nanosilver in soil during a growth period of 117 days”
e4“Up to 5-fold increases in relative abundance have been observed for certain possibly phytopathogenic fungal genera”
Claim · model-written summary
The increase in potentially phytopathogenic fungi is possibly due to negative effects of nanosilver on bacteria that exert natural biocontrol against them.
- Treatment
- nanosilvere5
- Outcome
- increased abundancese3
- Qualifier
- possibly due to the negative effects of nanosilver on bacteria exerting natural biocontrol against these fungie5
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“we analyzed the metatranscriptome of the maize rhizosphere and observed multiple unintended effects of exposure to 100 mg kg −1 nanosilver in soil during a growth period of 117 days”
e3“certain potentially phytopathogenic fungal groups showed significantly increased abundances”
e5“possibly due to the negative effects of nanosilver on bacteria exerting natural biocontrol against these fungi as indicated by negative interactions in a network analysis”
Claim · model-written summary
A network analysis showed negative interactions between bacteria and fungi in the maize rhizosphere.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“we analyzed the metatranscriptome of the maize rhizosphere and observed multiple unintended effects of exposure to 100 mg kg −1 nanosilver in soil during a growth period of 117 days”
e5“possibly due to the negative effects of nanosilver on bacteria exerting natural biocontrol against these fungi as indicated by negative interactions in a network analysis”
Claim · model-written summary
Nanosilver exposure increased transcript abundance of aquaporin and phytohormone genes in maize.
- Treatment
- nanosilver exposuree7
- Gene
- aquaporin and phytohormone genese7
- Outcome
- transcript abundancee7
- Direction
- increasede7
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“we analyzed the metatranscriptome of the maize rhizosphere and observed multiple unintended effects of exposure to 100 mg kg −1 nanosilver in soil during a growth period of 117 days”
e7“nanosilver exposure also caused a direct physiological impact on maize as illustrated by increased transcript abundance of aquaporin and phytohormone genes”
Claim · model-written summary
Nanosilver exposure may stimulate maize root growth through hormesis, as the authors suggest.
- Organ / stage
- roote1
- Treatment
- nanosilvere0
- Outcome
- plant root growthe1
- Direction
- stimulatede1
- Qualifier
- hormeticallye1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“we analyzed the metatranscriptome of the maize rhizosphere and observed multiple unintended effects of exposure to 100 mg kg −1 nanosilver in soil during a growth period of 117 days”
e1“overall resulting in a stress level with the potential to yield hormetically stimulated plant root growth”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors recommend including the microbiome when assessing the risk of nano-enabled agriculture.
- Taxon
- corn
Zea mays subsp. mayse1 - Outcome
- the need to include the microbiome when assessing the riske2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“This study indicates the occurrence of significant unintended effects of nanosilver use on corn”
e2“We therefore highlight the need to include the microbiome when assessing the risk associated with nano-enabled agriculture”
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