Abstract

Although bioremediation demonstrates potential in remediating plastic-polluted soils, synergistically regulating soil microbial communities to simultaneously achieve pollutant degradation, enhanced soil fertility, and healthy plant growth remains a significant challenge. This study aims to integrate microbial actions, poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) degradation, and soil nutrient cycling to elucidate the synergistic remediation characteristics of straw and functional strains (nitrogen-fixing bacteria and PBAT-degrading bacteria) in PBAT-contaminated soils. Results indicated that soil with PBAT, corn straw, nitrogen-fixing bacteria and degrading bacteria (GSS-1) yielded the most favourable outcomes. This treatment significantly enhanced root length, plant height in Shanghai green cabbage, while concurrently improving soil fertility. Total nitrogen (TN), available phosphorus (AP), available potassium (AK) content, and soil organic carbon (SOC) levels by approximately 38.41 %, 45.41 %, 24.33 %, and 43.34 %, respectively, compared to CK1. Concurrently, the GSS-1 treatment achieved the highest PBAT degradation rate (29.22 %). Microbial community analysis revealed that the GSS-1 treatment successfully established a highly complex modular symbiotic network dominated by Pseudomonadota and Bacteroidota, significantly enriching key functional genera such as Pseudomonas and Devosia . Functional pathway analysis further demonstrated that this treatment comprehensively activated Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways associated with carbohydrate metabolism, nitrogen metabolism, and exogenous substance degradation. By integrating agricultural waste with functional microbial resources, an ecosystem was established that synergistically promotes pollutant degradation, nutrient cycling, and microbial community development. This provides a reliable tec