Microplastics in soil–plant systems: impacts on soil health, plant toxicity, and multiomics insights

Microplastic pollution has emerged as a critical environmental concern, particularly in agricultural soils, where various MP types, including polyethylene, polystyrene and polyvinyl chloride accumulate due to plastic mulch degradation, irrigation, and biosolid application. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the impacts of MPs on soil integrity and function, highlighting the degradation of soil structure, disruption of nutrient cycles and shifts in microbial community composition and enzymatic activity. Furthermore, MPs can be taken up by plants, with submicrometer sized particles infiltrating root tissues, triggering phytotoxic effects such as oxidative stress, impaired growth, and reduced photosynthesis. In response plants deploy tolerance mechanisms involving antioxidant defense and altered nutrient metabolism to mitigate MP-induced stress. Advanced omics technologies, including transcriptomics, metabolomics, and proteomics provide valuable insights into the molecular responses of plants to MP exposure, uncovering stress responsive genes, metabolite shifts and protein alterations linked to MP toxicity. This review synthesizes current knowledge on MP contamination in agricultural soil, its impact on soil health and plant physiology, and the application of multiomics approaches to elucidate MP-induced toxicity, paving the way for sustainable strategies to mitigate MP pollution in agroecosystems.