Microplastic: Interaction with Agroecosystem and Microbial Remediation

Due to their ubiquity, resistance and protracted persistence in the ecosystem, microplastic pollution has emerged as a major environmental hazard on the global scale. For the time being, the majority of investigation has been concentrated on freshwater and marine environments, but there hasn’t been much investigation on terrestrial ecosystems, especially agroecosystem and very little is known about how plants absorb and store microplastics. Microplastics’ detrimental impacts on the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of soil are gradually becoming clear. However, little research has been done on how microplastics affect plant growth and yield. By impacting the rhizosphere’s microbial ecology and upsetting the agroecosystem’s homeostasis, soil contamination with microplastics might change plants’ functioning. Additionally, it might enter the plant’s system through water and nutrient absorption pathways and influence plant physiology. Microplastic accumulation in plants can negatively affect plant growth and development. Since plants are the primary living component of terrestrial ecosystems, understanding how microplastics and plants interact is crucial. Furthermore, it is decisive to create innovative methods for microplastic remediation. Among the several techniques now in use, microbial remediation has the potential to degrade microplastics in a sustainable manner. Scientists have thus far focused on microorganisms including bacteria, fungi and algae as a means of remediating microplastic. Considering above-mentioned aspects, the current chapter focuses on sources and effects of microplastic in agroecosystem, uptake and toxic effects of microplastic on plants and its microbial remediation.