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Microplastics in Agroecosystems: Pathways, Plant Uptake Mechanisms, and Advanced Scanning Techniques for Detection in Plant Tissues
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This review pulls together existing research showing that tiny plastic particles from mulch films, fertilizers, and contaminated water can get into farm soil, get absorbed by plant roots, and travel up into the parts of crops we actually eat. Beyond the plastic itself, these particles can carry along other harmful chemicals and heavy metals, raising concerns about what ends up on our dinner plates — though scientists still need better, standardized ways to measure this and more real-world studies before we know the full extent of the risk.
The sustainability, crop production, and food safety of agriculture are increasingly challenged by microplastic pollution, as agricultural soils are the largest reservoirs and may serve as points of contact for plastic particles in the food chain. This review provides a comprehensive overview of plant materials, fate and uptake pathways, detection techniques, and the possible risks of microplastics in agriculture. Agroecosystems are also a source of microplastics, such as plastic mulch films, sewage sludge, compost and manure additives, wastewater irrigation, polymer-coated fertilizers, greenhouse materials, atmospheric deposition, and decomposition of discarded agricultural plastics. Their distribution and mobility in soil are controlled by polymer composition, particle size, morphology, density, surface ageing, soil texture, organic matter content, tillage practices, runoff, leaching, and soil biota. Recent data show that microplastics, especially smaller microplastics and nanoplastics, can attach to root surfaces, penetrate plants via cracks in roots, areas of lateral root development, and apoplastic pathways, and eventually move to tissues aboveground. Plant tissue detection is often accomplished by digestion of the sample, density separation, visual and fluorescence microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, pyrolysis–gas chromatography mass spectrometry, and electron microscopy, but standardization of these methods remains a significant challenge. Microplastics can disrupt seed germination, root structure, nutrient absorption, photosynthesis, oxidative homeostasis, biomass buildup, yield development, and quality. Further, their capacity to transport additives, plasticizers, heavy metals, and persistent organic pollutants raises concerns about the transfer of contaminants to edible plant parts and their potential transfer to human diets. Further studies are needed focusing on field-realistic exposure conditions, long-term crop–soil interactions, nanoplastics behaviour, standardised analysis procedures, uptake and translocation pathways, edible crop risk assessments, and sustainable mitigation approaches to reduce microplastics in agroecosystems.
More Papers Like This
Micro/Nanoplastics in Agriculture: Uptake, Translocation and Bioaccumulation in Plants and Their Ecological Implications
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Tiny plastic particles from pollution are building up in farm soils and getting absorbed by plants through their roots, then traveling up into the leaves, fruits, and other parts we eat. This review of existing research shows these plastics can interfere with how plants grow and take up nutrients, and their presence in edible crops raises real concerns about how much plastic might be ending up on our dinner plates. Scientists still need better, standardized tools to detect these particles and develop ways to keep them out of our food supply.
Micro- and Nanoplastics in Agricultural Crop Systems: From Environmental Particles to Plant Phenotypes and Food-System Relevance
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Tiny plastic particles from mulch films, compost, and irrigation water are building up in farm soils, and this review pulls together existing research on how they affect crops—from stressing plant cells to potentially moving into the parts we eat. The evidence that plastics can travel from soil into food is growing but still incomplete, so scientists say more realistic farm-based studies are needed before we know exactly how much this matters for what ends up on our plates.
Tracking Nano- and Microplastics in Plants: Uptake Pathways, Tissue Distribution, and Analytical Strategies from Microscopy to Spectroscopy
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Tiny plastic particles from soil, water, and air can get absorbed by plant roots and leaves, then travel through the plant into stems and leaves we eventually eat, and evidence suggests this can stress plants by damaging photosynthesis and causing cell damage. This review rounds up the science on how researchers detect these plastic particles in plant tissue, noting it's still tricky to tell plastic bits apart from normal plant material under the microscope. The bigger takeaway for consumers: since crops can take up these particles from contaminated environments, understanding this process is a key step toward figuring out how much plastic might be ending up on our
Microplastics in Plants: Impacts on Physiology, Food Safety, and Environmental Sustainability
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Tiny plastic bits, called microplastics, are showing up in soil everywhere and getting absorbed into crops through their roots, according to this review of existing research. This can stunt plant growth and stress the plants, and it means these plastics may end up on your plate when you eat fruits and vegetables. Scientists are still working out how much this affects human health, but the findings suggest we should pay closer attention to plastic pollution in farmland.
Assessing microplastic translocation from contaminated agricultural soils to food crops
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Tiny plastic bits from mulch films, sewage-based fertilizers, and contaminated irrigation water are building up in farm soils—and this review of existing research confirms they don't just stay in the dirt. These plastics can actually move into the edible parts of crops, harm soil health and plant growth along the way, and create a direct route for plastic to end up on your plate. The researchers call for better plastic alternatives, stronger waste management, and more study to fully understand what this means for human health long-term.
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