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Toxicity Mechanisms of Nanoplastics on Crop Growth, Interference of Phyllosphere Microbes, and Evidence for Foliar Penetration and Translocation
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Researchers exposed tomato plants to nanoplastics with different surface charges and found that positively charged particles caused the most damage, including stunted growth, increased stress responses, and disruption of the leaf microbiome. The nanoplastics penetrated through leaves and traveled to the roots, demonstrating that atmospheric plastic pollution can contaminate crops from above. This is a concern for food safety, as nanoplastics accumulating in edible plants could be a route of human exposure.
Despite the increasing prevalence of atmospheric nanoplastics (NPs), there remains limited research on their phytotoxicity, foliar absorption, and translocation in plants. In this study, we aimed to fill this knowledge gap by investigating the physiological effects of tomato leaves exposed to differently charged NPs and foliar absorption and translocation of NPs. We found that positively charged NPs caused more pronounced physiological effects, including growth inhibition, increased antioxidant enzyme activity, and altered gene expression and metabolite composition and even significantly changed the structure and composition of the phyllosphere microbial community. Also, differently charged NPs exhibited differential foliar absorption and translocation, with the positively charged NPs penetrating more into the leaves and dispersing uniformly within the mesophyll cells. Additionally, NPs absorbed by the leaves were able to translocate to the roots. These findings provide important insights into the interactions between atmospheric NPs and crop plants and demonstrate that NPs' accumulation in crops could negatively impact agricultural production and food safety.
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Foliar uptake and leaf-to-root translocation of nanoplastics with different coating charge in maize plants
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Researchers showed that nanoplastics can enter maize plants not just through roots but also through leaves, and then travel down to the roots through the plant's internal transport system. Positively charged nanoplastics stuck to leaf surfaces more readily but also caused more damage to photosynthesis and triggered stronger stress responses in the plants. This finding is important because it reveals an additional pathway for nanoplastic contamination of food crops through airborne particles landing on leaves.
Impacts of foliar-applied polystyrene nanoplastics with different surface charges on tetracycline accumulation, phytotoxicity, and the endophytic microbiota in Chrysanthemum coronarium L.
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Researchers applied polystyrene nanoplastics of different surface charges to chrysanthemum leaves and found that positively charged particles most strongly reduced antibiotic (tetracycline) uptake, suppressed iron absorption and chlorophyll production, and increased oxidative damage — while also reshaping the plant's internal microbiome — demonstrating that atmospheric nanoplastic deposition can alter both contaminant bioavailability and plant health.
Micro and nanoplastics pollution: Sources, distribution, uptake in plants, toxicological effects, and innovative remediation strategies for environmental sustainability
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This review examines how microplastics and nanoplastics enter plants through roots, disrupt growth and photosynthesis, and cause oxidative stress that reduces crop yields. Because these plastic particles can move through plant tissues and into edible parts, they represent a potential pathway for microplastics to enter the human food supply.
Impacts of Micro/Nanoplastics on Crop Physiology and Soil Ecosystems: A Review
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This review synthesized evidence on how micro- and nanoplastics affect crop physiology and soil ecosystems, covering how plastic particles enter plants via roots, disrupt soil microbiota, and impair crop growth through oxidative stress, nutrient cycling disruption, and physical root interference. The authors found that nanoplastics pose greater plant risks than microplastics due to their ability to cross cell membranes.
Effects of charged polystyrene microplastics on the bioavailability of dufulin in tomato plant
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Researchers studied how differently charged polystyrene microplastics affect the uptake of a pesticide called Dufulin in hydroponic tomato plants. They found that all types of microplastics reduced plant growth and decreased the amount of pesticide absorbed by the tomatoes, with negatively charged particles having the strongest effect. The study suggests that microplastics in agricultural systems may alter how pesticides accumulate in food crops.
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