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Synergistic Impacts of Microplastic Pollution and Climate Extremes on Crop Productivity: Multi-Omics Insights and CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Mitigation Strategies
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This review paper pulls together 142 studies to show how microplastic pollution in soil, combined with drought and heat, damages crops at a molecular level—stressing plants in ways that can hurt water absorption and trigger harmful cell damage. This matters because as microplastics and climate extremes both worsen, our food supply faces a growing double threat; the researchers also outline potential fixes, like gene editing and soil-restoring technologies, to help crops become more resilient.
Convergent environmental pressures, including accelerating climate extremes and pervasive microplastic contamination of agricultural soils, pose compounding threats to global crop productivity that remain poorly characterized at the mechanistic level. In this PRISMA-compliant systematic review of 142 peer-reviewed studies (2015–2026), we integrate multi-omics evidence (transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics) to elucidate molecular reprogramming underlying the combined effects of drought, heat, and microplastic stress in major crops. Polyethylene microplastics reduce soil water-holding capacity and increase ammonia volatilization by up to 33.9%, while nanoplastic uptake induces reactive oxygen species accumulation and lipid peroxidation. Key transcription factor families, including DREB, NAC, and MYB, emerge as central regulatory hubs under dual stress. We propose a tripartite mitigation framework that (i) leverages CRISPR/Cas9-mediated editing of stress-responsive loci (OST2, SAPK2, ARGOS8, BnaA9.NF-YA7) for intrinsic resilience; (ii) implements IoT-enabled precision irrigation and hyperspectral monitoring for real-time stress management; and (iii) employs biochar-assisted physical sorption and synthetic microbial communities to restore soil health. This integrative synthesis provides actionable guidance for experimental validation, identifies priority CRISPR targets, and highlights knowledge gaps in long-term microplastic degradation and stress interaction, offering a mechanistic and translational roadmap for developing climate- and microplastic-resilient crops.
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Multiomics Insights into the Ecotoxicological Effects of Soil Microplastics on Crop Plants
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This review summarizes two decades of research on how soil microplastics affect crop plants, drawing on multiomics approaches including genomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics. Researchers found that microplastics absorbed by crop roots and leaves can travel to reproductive organs, causing oxidative stress, genotoxicity, and disrupted nutrient uptake and photosynthesis. The study highlights that microplastic concentrations in intensive farming regions have reached significant levels.
Integrating microplastic research in sustainable agriculture: Challenges and future directions for food production
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Researchers reviewed how microplastics interact with environmental stressors like heat, drought, and salinity to threaten crop health and food safety, finding that microplastics can increase toxic metal uptake in plants and alter growth — with risks likely to worsen as climate change intensifies.
Concurrence of microplastics and heat waves reduces rice yields and disturbs the agroecosystem nitrogen cycle
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Researchers found that while microplastics or heat waves alone had mild effects on rice crops, the combination reduced yields by about 32% and significantly lowered grain protein and nutrient content. The dual stress disrupted nitrogen cycling in the soil and shifted nutrient distribution within the plants, reducing photosynthesis. This matters because climate change and plastic pollution are increasing simultaneously in agricultural regions.
Interactive impacts of heat stress and microplastics contamination on the growth and biochemical response of wheat (Triticum aestivum) and maize (Zea mays) plants
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Researchers investigated how heat stress combined with polyethylene microplastic contamination in soil affects wheat and maize growth. They found that the combination significantly reduced plant height, root length, leaf area, and chlorophyll content more than either stressor alone. The findings highlight that microplastic pollution in agricultural soils could worsen the damage already caused by rising temperatures to food crops.
[Adverse Effects and Underlying Mechanisms of Soil Microplastics on Crops and Its Preventive Strategies].
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This review summarizes the pollution status of microplastics in agricultural soils and their adverse effects on crops, including mechanical damage, oxidative stress, and genotoxicity leading to disrupted plant growth and metabolism. Researchers also examined how hazardous substances released from microplastics and contaminants adsorbed onto their surfaces contribute to soil ecosystem harm. The study identifies source control and biodegradation as the most promising strategies for reducing microplastic risks to crop production.
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