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The trojan horse in agricultural water: How microbe-mediated interactions of nanoplastics and flame retardants drive multiscale toxicity and seed transmission in rye
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Researchers investigated how nanoplastics and flame retardants interact when co-transported through agricultural irrigation water, using rye as a model crop. The study found that nanoplastics formed stable complexes with flame retardants via van der Waals forces, which accumulated in roots, translocated to seeds, caused severe oxidative damage, and reduced photosynthesis by nearly 65% through synergistic toxic effects.
Agricultural irrigation water serves as a critical vector for the co-transport of emerging contaminants like nanoplastics and organophosphate flame retardants, posing a poorly understood risk to crop safety and water quality. This study employed a combination of hydroponic exposure (simulating contaminated irrigation), long-term cultivation, multi-omics (transcriptomics and metabolomics), physiological assays, and computational simulations to elucidate the multiscale toxic mechanisms of aminated polystyrene nanoplastics (NPs-NH₂) and tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TEP) in rye. We deciphered a clear toxic pathway: In the aqueous phase, van der Waals forces drove the formation of a stable NP-TEP complex with enhanced bioavailability. This complex accumulated in roots and was translocated to seeds, inducing synergistic oxidative burst (H₂O₂ increased >600%) and direct physical damage to cellular structures (e.g., starch granules and chloroplasts). Molecular docking confirmed NPs-NH₂ binding to photosystem I proteins, while TEP inhibited key metabolic enzymes (PAL, nsLTP2). Multi-omics revealed systemic reprogramming, where energy metabolism was disrupted and resources were reallocated to defense pathways (e.g., phenylpropanoid biosynthesis), at the cost of growth and nutrient storage. Consequently, co-exposure via irrigation water led to severe phenotypic injuries: synergistic inhibition of photosynthesis (net photosynthetic rate reduced by 64.9%), biomass, and seed yield (thousand-grain weight decreased), with both pollutants detected within seeds. This work defines a concrete pathway from molecular interaction in water to phenotypic damage, demonstrating that combined pollutant exposure via agricultural water poses a greater threat to crop productivity and food safety than individual contaminants, underscoring the urgent need to consider interaction mechanisms in water quality risk assessment.
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A new risk to food security: Co-transport, accumulation, and deterioration of nutritional quality mediated by surface charge of nanoplastics and flame retardants in the soil-crop system.
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Researchers grew rye plants in soil and water containing tiny plastic particles with positive or negative surface charges, combined with a flame retardant chemical. Positively charged particles combined with the flame retardant caused more plant stress, delayed growth, and lower grain weight, fat content, and nutritional quality compared to other treatments.
Carrier effects of microplastics in a hydroponic system: Amplifying diethyl phthalate toxicity and endophytic dysbiosis in Rye (Secale cereale L.) with implications for aquatic ecosystems
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Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics and diethyl phthalate (a common plasticizer) interact synergistically to cause severe toxicity in hydroponically grown rye, far exceeding the damage from either pollutant alone. The study revealed a bidirectional mechanism where microplastics adsorb the plasticizer while the plasticizer enhances microplastic uptake by roots, leading to photosynthetic collapse and disrupted endophytic microbial communities.
Dynamics of accumulation and multilevel biological effects of various alkyl chain phthalates and microplastics in rye: New insights into individual, physiological, and molecular perspectives
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Researchers studied the combined toxicity of three phthalate esters with different alkyl chain lengths and polystyrene microplastics on rye plants, finding that MP presence amplified the phytotoxicity of longer-chain phthalates. The results demonstrate that microplastics can act as carriers that enhance the uptake and toxicity of co-occurring chemical contaminants in crops.
Looking into the effects of co-contamination by micro(nano)plastics in the presence of other pollutants on irrigated edible plants
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This review examines the combined effects of micro- and nanoplastics with other pollutants found in treated wastewater used for crop irrigation. Researchers analyzed 19 studies and found that the joint exposure to plastics and contaminants like heavy metals or pesticides often produced different toxicity outcomes than either pollutant alone. The findings suggest that using reclaimed wastewater for irrigation may expose food crops to complex mixtures of pollutants whose combined effects are still poorly understood.
Biomagnification in Trophic Transfer: Mechanisms of Trans-Trophic Toxicity from Co-Contamination of Aged NPs and TBP in a Soil–Rye–Armyworm System
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Scientists found that tiny plastic particles (nanoplastics) can team up with a flame retardant chemical in soil, making crops like rye absorb more of both pollutants and grow less nutritious food. Even more concerning, when insects ate the contaminated rye, the flame retardant chemical became more concentrated in their bodies than in the plant itself—a process called biomagnification that could mean these pollutants build up as they move up the food chain toward humans. While this study used rye and armyworms rather than human subjects, it highlights how plastic pollution and industrial chemicals may combine to threaten food safety in ways scientists are
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