Scientists find when tiny plastics end up in farm fields, the pollution can impair plant growth. But two young researchers now report that combining fungi (真菌) with certain farm wastes can partially overcome that problem. May Shin, 20, and Jiwon Choi, 18, presented their discovery at the 2023 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair(ISEF).
The pair met in a research design class at the Fryeburg Academy, a high school in Maine. May had wanted to explore how microplastics might affect the ecosystem. Jiwon was fascinated by plants and fungi. The young scientists shared their interests, May says, to test how long-lived plastics might affect farm crops—and how to limit any harm.
May and Jiwon planted more than 2,000 scallion (韭葱) seeds in pots of soil. Half the seeds got soil polluted with microplastics. The rest grew in plastic-free soil. The plants assigned to each soil were further divided into four groups. The young scientists added certain microscopic fungi to the soil in one group. Another group had a top layer of farm wastes. A third group got both treatments. The last group got none. For three weeks, the pair tracked how many scallions sprouted (萌芽) in each group and measured the plants’ height once each week.
About twice as many scallions sprouted in clean soil compared to that containing plastic bits. But among plants surviving in the polluted soil, a combination of microscopic fungi and farm wastes helped them out. Those getting both treatments grew 5.4 centimeters(about 2 inches)per week. That was faster than either of the treatments alone or those getting none. It was slower, however, than scallions planted in clean soil. They grew 7.2 centimeters(2.8 inches)per week.
In the future, the two young scientists hope to continue testing microscopic fungi and farm wastes under other conditions. Their goal is to see how other factors might change the plants’ response to the soil treatments.
【小题1】What can we learn about May and Jiwon from the first two paragraphs?| A．They met in a college. |
| B．They grow fungi at home. |
| C．They like to collect farm wastes. |
| D．They worked together harmoniously. |
| A．To examine the different plants. |
| B．To build a scientific model. |
| C．To show the reliability of the test. |
| D．To arouse the readers’ interest. |
| A．Farm wastes help sprout most in polluted soil. |
| B．Microscopic fungi helps sprout most in polluted soil. |
| C．Scallions sprout better in clean soil than in polluted soil. |
| D．Plants grow better in polluted soil with wastes than in clean soil. |
| A．The two scientists are determined. |
| B．There are many ways to treat soils. |
| C．Farm wastes will be more valuable. |
| D．Microscopic fungi will be widely used. |
