The effect of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Microplastic stress on the composition and gene regulatory network of amino acid in Capsicum annuum

Navigating microplastic-induced stress in plants: adaptations from physiology to gene regulation

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A bibliometric analysis of 84 studies (2017-2025) found that microplastic exposure in plants triggers stress pathway upregulation, reduces seed germination by up to 20%, disrupts nutrient uptake, and elevates antioxidant enzyme activity. These plant-level disruptions matter for human health because microplastic contamination of agricultural systems can degrade food quality, reduce crop yields, and create exposure pathways through the vegetables and grains people eat.

Physiological and Biochemical Effects of Polystyrene Micro/Nano Plastics on Arabidopsis Thaliana

Gradient Dependent Chronic Toxicity of Polyethylene Microplastics (PE-MPs) on Tomato

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Researchers exposed tomato plants to polyethylene microplastics at increasing concentrations and found dose-dependent reductions in growth, yield, and fruit quality — with 1% PE-MPs cutting fruit count by 56% and lycopene content by 24% — while also altering soil microbial diversity and enzyme activity.

Impact of microplastics on plants: a transcriptome analysis perspective

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This review examined how microplastic exposure disrupts plant biology at the transcriptome level, showing that species like Arabidopsis and maize exhibit differential expression of hundreds to thousands of genes affecting nutrient uptake, growth, and stress responses. Because these molecular disruptions can propagate through food webs, microplastic accumulation in agricultural soils represents a compounding threat to crop productivity and ecosystem stability.

Synergistic Effects of Polyethylene Microplastics and PGPR Pseudomonas fluorescens on Biochemical and Physiological Responses in Potato (Solanum tuberosum)

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Researchers exposed potato plants to increasing concentrations of low-density polyethylene microplastics and found dose-dependent oxidative stress, mineral depletion, and a 63% drop in tuber yield at the highest dose; applying the soil bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens partially reversed these effects — improving yield by 36.8% — though microplastic particles still accumulated within tuber tissues, underscoring the limits of single-strain bioremediation.