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Effects of Microplastics on Bioavailability, Persistence and Toxicity of Plant Pesticides: An Agricultural Perspective
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This review examines how microplastics in soil interact with pesticides, generally reducing pesticide effectiveness by absorbing the chemicals onto their surfaces. While this lowers the immediate toxicity of pesticides, it also makes them last longer in the environment and may reduce pest control in agriculture, potentially affecting food production and the long-term safety of the food supply.
Microplastic–pesticide interactions influence pesticide performance, soil health, and environmental safety. This review aims to comprehensively present the effects of microplastic–pesticide interactions on pesticide bioavailability, persistence, and toxicity, along with their agricultural implications on pest control. It reviews more than 90 related articles from established scholarly databases. Most studies indicate that pesticide bioavailability decreases in the presence of microplastics due to adsorption, which is frequently influenced by the hydrophobicity (log Kow) of the pesticides and the surface area and type of microplastics. Higher log Kow results in higher adsorption and lower bioavailability. Aged microplastics have higher surface areas for adsorption, thus reducing pesticide bioavailability. This decreases the effectiveness of systematic and contact pesticides. Lower bioavailability leads to less adsorption of the former by plants to control pest infestation and less contact of the latter with pests in the soil to kill them directly. Higher pesticide adsorption also increases the persistence of pesticides, as indicated by their extended degradation half-lives. However, some studies demonstrate that biodegradable microplastics, especially the aged ones, have less effect on pesticide persistence because they release pesticides for degradation when they break down. Few studies on how microplastics alter pesticide toxicity on target organisms are available, but the available ones point to potentially higher toxicity on crops and beneficial soil organisms. Overall, the review highlights a significant negative effect of microplastics on pesticide bioavailability. This may prompt the application of more pesticides to achieve the desired level of crop protection, which bears cost and environmental consequences.
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Interactions of Microplastics with Pesticides in Soils and Their Ecotoxicological Implications
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This review examines how microplastics interact with pesticides in soil environments, finding that microplastics can sorb and transport pesticides, potentially altering their bioavailability and toxicity to soil organisms and ecosystems.
Micro- and Nanoplastics–Pesticide Interactions in Agricultural Systems: Environmental Fate and Food Safety: A Critical Review
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This review of existing research finds that tiny plastic particles in soil can change how pesticides behave, sometimes making them more persistent or harmful. Scientists still don't know enough about how this combo of plastics and pesticides ends up in the food we eat, so more research is needed before we can fully judge the risk to human health.
Microplastics in Agricultural Soils: Sources, Fate, and Interactions with Other Contaminants
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This review examines how microplastics enter farmland through irrigation, fertilizers, and plastic mulch, and how long-term farming practices affect their spread and aging in soil. The paper highlights that microplastics can either increase or decrease the toxicity of co-existing pollutants like pesticides and heavy metals depending on how strongly each contaminant binds to soil versus plastic particles.
Particulate plastics-plant interaction in soil and its implications: A review
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This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics in soil interact with plants, including uptake through roots, accumulation in plant tissues, and effects on growth, nutrient absorption, and soil microbial communities. The study highlights that these plastic particles can alter soil structure and chemistry in ways that affect crop development, raising concerns about food safety and agricultural productivity.
Microplastics as pesticide vectors in soil: bridging aqueous insights to terrestrial co-contamination risks and ecosystem impacts
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This review of existing research finds that tiny plastic particles in soil can act like sponges, grabbing onto pesticides and helping them stick around longer, especially plastics that have started breaking down outdoors. That combo may stress soil organisms more than either pollutant alone, raising concerns about impacts on crops and, potentially, the food we eat, though more research is needed to confirm long-term risks.
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