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Environmental risk substances in soil on seed germination: Chemical species, inhibition performance, and mechanisms
Summary
This review summarizes how various soil pollutants including microplastics, heavy metals, and petroleum chemicals inhibit crop seed germination and early growth. Microplastics can physically block water absorption by seeds and release toxic additives that impair root development. The findings are relevant to food security because microplastic contamination of agricultural soil could reduce crop yields and affect the food supply.
Nowadays, numerous environmental risk substances in soil worldwide have exhibited serious germination inhibition of crop seeds, posing a threat to food supply and security. This review provides a comprehensive summary and discussion of the inhibitory effects of environmental risk substances on seed germination, encompassing heavy metals, microplastics, petroleum hydrocarbons, salinity, phenols, essential oil, agricultural waste, antibiotics, etc. The impacts of species, concentrations, and particle sizes of various environmental risk substances are critically investigated. Furthermore, three primary inhibition mechanisms of environmental risk substances are elucidated: hindering water absorption, inducing oxidative damage, and damaging seed cells/organelles/cell membranes. To address these negative impacts, diverse effective coping measures such as biochar/compost addition, biological remediation, seed priming, coating, and genetic modification are proposed. In brief, this study systematically analyzes the negative effects of environmental risk substances on seed germination, and provides a basis for the comprehensive understanding and future implementation of efficient treatments to address this significant challenge and ensure food security and human survival.
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