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Emerging contaminants and their influence on plants: An in-depth review
Summary
This review examines how emerging contaminants including microplastics, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and nanomaterials accumulate in soil and affect plant health. The study found these pollutants can disrupt plant growth through various toxic mechanisms and persist in food webs, highlighting the need for effective mitigation strategies to protect crop productivity, soil health, and food security.
In recent years, soil pollution from emerging contaminants has attracted significant global attention. These contaminants comprise a wide range of substances, including industrial by-products, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, pesticides, microplastics, phthalates, nanomaterials, and their transformation products. Their diverse nature and persistence in environment pose serious threats to soil functionality, plant health. Every year, the production and discharge of these compounds contribute to their extensive distribution worldwide. Many of these emerging contaminants exhibit strong soil adsorption and bioaccumulation capacity within food webs, leading to their persistence in both terrestrial and aquatic systems leading to complex, often unpredictable ecological consequences. This review synthesizes recent findings on the sources and environmental impacts of emerging contaminants, with a particular focus on plants. It highlights their effects on plant growth, the mechanisms of phytotoxicity, and the broader implications for crop productivity, soil health, and agricultural sustainability. By elucidating the interactions between these contaminants and plant systems, this work also underscores the need for effective mitigation strategies to protect ecosystems, food security, and human well-being.
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