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Evidence of parental transfer of nanoplastics in pea (Pisum sativum) plants
Summary
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.
The increasing abundance of nanoplastics in the environment is a cause of serious concern and its acute and chronic effects on ecosystems need to be thoroughly investigated. Toward this end, this study investigated the parental transfer of nanoplastics by chronically exposing Pisum sativum (pea) plants to nanoplastics through soil medium. We observed the presence of nanoplastics in harvested fruits and a subsequent generation of plants replanted in uncontaminated soil using confocal laser scanning microscopy. The fluorescence was located in the cell wall of the vascular bundles, but not in the epidermis, indicating the parental transfer of nanoplastics. In addition, we determined the effects of nanoplastics on the health of subsequent plant generations by estimating the reproductive factors and measuring the content of individual nutrients in peas. Decreases in crop yield and fruit biomass, in addition to changes in nutrient content and composition, were noted. The transgenerational effects of nanoplastics on plants can profoundly impact terrestrial ecosystems, including both plant species and their predators, raising critical safety concerns. Our findings highlight the evidence of parental transfer of nanoplastics in the soil through plants and shows that the chronic effects of nanoplastics on plants may pose a threat to the food supply.