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Grandparental transfer of nanoplastics in pea plants (Pisum sativum): Transmission from soil to third generations
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Researchers exposed the first generation of pea plants to nanoplastics and then grew two subsequent generations in clean soil, detecting nanoplastic fluorescence inside cells of the third generation — demonstrating that nanoplastics can be passed from grandparent to grandchild plants and persist in soil food webs.
With the increase in micro- and nanoplastic abundance in the soil environment, there has been growing concern regarding the translocation of nanoplastics to the soil biota. To this end, this study aimed to determine the multigenerational transfer of nanoplastics in plants by chronic exposure to nanoplastics (200 nm, polystyrene). Only the first generation (F0) of pea plants was exposed to nanoplastics, and subsequent generations (F1 and F2) were replanted in clean soil without nanoplastics. Pea fruits and plants of the F2 generation were examined using confocal laser scanning microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Green fluorescence of the nanoplastics was observed in contrast to the control. Nanoplastics were located in intracellular as well as intercellular spaces and enclosed within the endoplasmic reticulum and vacuoles. Nanoplastic fluorescence detected in F2 plants confirmed that nanoplastics can be transferred not just to daughter but also to third generations. Our results suggest that nanoplastics exposed to the first generation can be continuously transferred to subsequent generations and further emphasize that they can be continuously circulated in soil ecosystems. It also shows that nanoplastics can reach humans through food and calls for improved food safety measures against micro- and nanoplastics.
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Evidence of parental transfer of nanoplastics in pea (Pisum sativum) plants
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In a striking finding, researchers showed that pea plants exposed to nanoplastics passed those particles to their seeds, and the next generation of plants grown from those seeds still contained nanoplastics even in clean soil. The nanoplastics were found in the vascular tissue of both generations, and the second generation showed reduced crop yield and altered nutrient content. This parental transfer of nanoplastics through plants raises serious concerns about long-term contamination of food crops across growing seasons.
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Scientists found that tiny plastic particles (nanoplastics) can pass from a parent aquatic plant to its "grandchildren" generations, even when those younger plants were never directly exposed to the plastic. This inherited exposure stunted plant growth and disrupted key biological processes—suggesting plastic pollution's harm can echo across generations, not just affect the individual exposed. While this study was done in a water plant, it raises important questions about whether similar long-term, multi-generational effects could occur in other organisms—something worth watching as we learn more about how nanoplastics move through the food chain and potentially affect human health.
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