Effects of biodegradable versus conventional microplastics on terrestrial plant growth, chlorophyll content and genotoxicity: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Impact of Microplastics and Nanoplastics on Plant Health and Development

AI summary · Read the abstract

Researchers review the emerging evidence on how microplastics accumulate in agricultural soils and affect plant health and development, highlighting that while aquatic impacts are well documented, the effects on terrestrial food crops and soil-plant systems remain poorly understood.

Microplastic risk assessment and toxicity in plants: a review

AI summary · Read the abstract

Researchers review how microplastics harm plants across multiple mechanisms — inhibiting growth, inducing oxidative stress, blocking nutrient and metal absorption, and disrupting plant-microbe interactions — with consequences for metabolic pathways, gene expression, and crop yields.

Micro, Nano, and Biodegradable Plastics: Hidden Threats to Plant Health and Soil Function

AI summary · Read the abstract

Researchers reviewed how microplastics, nanoplastics, and biodegradable plastic particles disrupt plant health and soil function in agroecosystems, finding that these contaminants impair nutrient uptake, photosynthesis, and redox balance while inducing oxidative stress, genotoxic effects, and soil property degradation with food safety implications.

Uptake of Microplastics and Their Effects on Plants

AI summary · Read the abstract

Researchers reviewed accumulating evidence on microplastic uptake by terrestrial plants, finding that particles smaller than 200 nm can enter root cells and translocate to shoots, potentially disrupting photosynthesis, nutrient uptake, and growth while opening a pathway for microplastics to enter the human food chain through crops.

Impact of Microplastics on Plant Growth