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Species-dependent responses of crop plants to polystyrene microplastics

Environmental Pollution 2023 33 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 50 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Thijs Bosker, Thijs Bosker, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Martina G. Vijver, Laura J. Zantis, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Laura J. Zantis, Thijs Bosker, Thijs Bosker, Martina G. Vijver, Laura J. Zantis, Sylwia Adamczyk, Thijs Bosker, Laura J. Zantis, Laura J. Zantis, Laura J. Zantis, Laura J. Zantis, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Laura J. Zantis, Laura J. Zantis, Sylwia Adamczyk, Laura J. Zantis, Laura J. Zantis, Thijs Bosker, Sylwia Adamczyk, Martina G. Vijver, Martina G. Vijver, Martina G. Vijver, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Thijs Bosker, Martina G. Vijver, Martina G. Vijver, Thijs Bosker, Martina G. Vijver, Thijs Bosker, Sylwia Adamczyk, Sylwia Adamczyk, Martina G. Vijver, Annebelle Rombach, Annebelle Rombach, Laura J. Zantis, Martina G. Vijver, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Thijs Bosker, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Sylwia Adamczyk, Sannakajsa Velmala Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Sannakajsa Velmala Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Sannakajsa Velmala Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Laura J. Zantis, Martina G. Vijver, Martina G. Vijver, Martina G. Vijver, Martina G. Vijver, Martina G. Vijver, Martina G. Vijver, Martina G. Vijver, Martina G. Vijver, Martina G. Vijver, Martina G. Vijver, Martina G. Vijver, Martina G. Vijver, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Thijs Bosker, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Martina G. Vijver, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Thijs Bosker, Thijs Bosker, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Sannakajsa Velmala Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Sannakajsa Velmala Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Sylwia Adamczyk, Sylwia Adamczyk, Bartosz Adamczyk, Bartosz Adamczyk, Bartosz Adamczyk, Thijs Bosker, Thijs Bosker, Thijs Bosker, Thijs Bosker, Thijs Bosker, Thijs Bosker, Thijs Bosker, Martina G. Vijver, Martina G. Vijver, Martina G. Vijver, Martina G. Vijver, Martina G. Vijver, Martina G. Vijver, Martina G. Vijver, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Martina G. Vijver, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Martina G. Vijver, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Thijs Bosker, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Martina G. Vijver, Martina G. Vijver, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Martina G. Vijver, Thijs Bosker, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Bartosz Adamczyk, Sannakajsa Velmala Sylwia Adamczyk, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Thijs Bosker, Martina G. Vijver, Martina G. Vijver, Thijs Bosker, Martina G. Vijver, Martina G. Vijver, Martina G. Vijver, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Martina G. Vijver, Thijs Bosker, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Thijs Bosker, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Thijs Bosker, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Thijs Bosker, Sannakajsa Velmala Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Thijs Bosker, Thijs Bosker, Martina G. Vijver, Laura J. Zantis, Martina G. Vijver, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Thijs Bosker, Martina G. Vijver, Martina G. Vijver, Thijs Bosker, Thijs Bosker, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Martina G. Vijver, Martina G. Vijver, Thijs Bosker, Thijs Bosker, Thijs Bosker, Laura J. Zantis, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Laura J. Zantis, Martina G. Vijver, Laura J. Zantis, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Sannakajsa Velmala Martina G. Vijver, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Martina G. Vijver, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Martina G. Vijver, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Thijs Bosker, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Bartosz Adamczyk, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Martina G. Vijver, Martina G. Vijver, Thijs Bosker, Thijs Bosker, Sannakajsa Velmala Thijs Bosker, Bartosz Adamczyk, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Bartosz Adamczyk, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Thijs Bosker, Thijs Bosker, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Bartosz Adamczyk, Martina G. Vijver, Martina G. Vijver, Bartosz Adamczyk, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Martina G. Vijver, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Thijs Bosker, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Martina G. Vijver, Thijs Bosker, Martina G. Vijver, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Sannakajsa Velmala Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg, Martina G. Vijver, Martina G. Vijver, Laura J. Zantis, Sannakajsa Velmala

Summary

Researchers found that crop plant responses to polystyrene microplastics are species-dependent, with dicotyledonous plants like lettuce showing greater sensitivity than monocotyledonous species like barley and wheat across germination and growth endpoints.

Polymers

Only recently there has been a strong focus on the impacts of microplastics on terrestrial crop plants. This study aims to examine and compare the effects of microplastics on two monocotyledonous (barley, Hordeum vulgare and wheat, Triticum aestivum), and two dicotyledonous (carrot, Daucus carota and lettuce, Lactuca sativa) plant species through two complimentary experiments. First, we investigated the effects of low, medium, and high (10<sup>3</sup>, 10<sup>5</sup>, 10<sup>7</sup> particles per mL) concentrations of 500 nm polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) on seed germination and early development. We found species-dependent effects on the early development, with microplastics only significantly affecting lettuce and carrot. When acutely exposed during germination, PS-MPs significantly delayed the germination of lettuce by 24%, as well as promoted the shoot growth of carrot by 71% and decreased its biomass by 26%. No effect was recorded on monocot species. Secondly, we performed a chronic (21 d) hydroponic experiment on lettuce and wheat. We observed that PS-MPs significantly reduced the shoot growth of lettuce by up to 35% and increased its biomass by up to 64%, while no record was reported on wheat. In addition, stress level indicators and defence mechanisms were significantly up-regulated in both lettuce and wheat seedlings. Overall, this study shows that PS-MPs affect plant development: impacts were recorded on both germination and growth for dicots, and responses identified by biochemical markers of stress were increased in both lettuce and wheat. This highlights species-dependent effects as the four crops were grown under identical conditions to allow direct comparison. For future research, our study emphasizes the need to focus on crop specific effects, while also working towards knowledge of plastic-induced impacts at environmentally relevant conditions.

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