Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Influences of different source microplastics with different particle sizes and application rates on soil properties and growth of Chinese cabbage (Brassica chinensis L.)

Researchers tested how two types of microplastics at different sizes and concentrations affect soil properties and the growth of Chinese cabbage. They found that smaller particles at higher concentrations altered soil enzyme activity and reduced plant growth, though the effects depended on the specific plastic type. The study suggests that microplastic contamination in agricultural soils could meaningfully impact crop productivity and soil health.

2021 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 154 citations
Article Tier 2

Novel insights related to soil microplastic abundance and vegetable microplastic contamination

Researchers analyzed microplastic contamination in farmland soils and the vegetables grown in them, finding that polyethylene and polypropylene were the most common plastic types in soil. Chinese cabbage had the highest vegetable contamination levels, and there was a moderate correlation between soil and vegetable microplastic concentrations. The study provides real-world evidence that microplastics in agricultural soil can transfer into the food crops people eat.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Soil Microplastics on Plant Growth and Soil Health

A greenhouse experiment found that polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics at increasing concentrations reduced lettuce biomass, altered soil microbial activity, and changed soil structure and water retention, with effects more pronounced at higher MP concentrations.

2025 Knowledgeable Research A Multidisciplinary Journal
Article Tier 2

Natural Aging Intensifies Microplastic Phytotoxicity in Brassica chinensis

Researchers compared the effects of pristine and naturally aged polyethylene and polystyrene microplastics on Chinese cabbage growth and soil health over a 45-day experiment. They found that aged microplastics with oxidized surfaces caused significantly more plant damage, reducing biomass and chlorophyll content more than their pristine counterparts. The study suggests that as microplastics weather in agricultural soils, they may become increasingly harmful to crops.

2025 Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics contamination on spinach (Spinacia oleracea): influence of plastic polymers, growing media, and copper co-exposure

A pot experiment tested how different microplastic polymers (LDPE, PBAT, starch-based) and copper co-contamination affected spinach grown in two soil types, finding that microplastic effects on plant growth and copper uptake varied significantly by polymer type and soil characteristics.

2025 Next research.
Article Tier 2

Microplastics alter soil enzyme activities and microbial community structure without negatively affecting plant growth in an agroecosystem

Researchers tested how three types of microplastics (polystyrene, polyethylene, and PVC) affected plant growth, soil enzymes, and microbial communities in an agricultural setting. The study found that while microplastics suppressed several soil enzyme activities and altered carbon cycling, they did not negatively affect plant growth and in some cases actually enhanced above-ground and below-ground plant productivity.

2023 Chemosphere 128 citations
Article Tier 2

A Combined Effect of Mixed Multi-Microplastic Types on Growth and Yield of Tomato

A greenhouse experiment found that a 1% w/w mixture of polyethylene, polystyrene, and polypropylene microplastics negatively affected tomato plant development and yield, with statistical analysis confirming significant growth reductions compared to uncontaminated soil.

2024 Preprints.org
Article Tier 2

Toxic Impact of Soil Microplastics (PVC) on Two Weeds: Changes in Growth, Phenology and Photosynthesis Efficiency

Researchers found that PVC microplastics in soil negatively affected growth, photosynthetic efficiency, and phenological timing in two weed species, with effects varying by concentration and plant species, suggesting that soil microplastic contamination can alter plant community dynamics in agricultural and natural ecosystems.

2022 Agronomy 32 citations
Article Tier 2

The Effect of Microplastics with Different Types, Particle Sizes, and Concentrations on the Germination of Non-Heading Chinese Cabbage Seed

Five microplastic types were tested on non-heading Chinese cabbage seed germination, finding PVC and PET had the greatest inhibitory effects on germination, while PVC and PP promoted growth of germinated seeds at certain concentrations.

2024 Agriculture 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of polyethylene microplastics and heavy metals on soil-plant microbial dynamics

This study examined how polyethylene microplastics interact with heavy metals in soil and found that microplastics significantly reduced plant growth while altering soil enzyme activity and microbial communities. The combination of microplastics and heavy metals disrupted nutrient cycling in the soil in ways that were different from either pollutant alone. These findings suggest that microplastic contamination in agricultural soil could affect crop nutrition and food production.

2023 Environmental Pollution 37 citations
Article Tier 2

Brassica sprouts exposed to microplastics: Effects on phytochemical constituents

Brassica sprouts grown in soil containing microplastics at varying concentrations showed changes in secondary metabolite profiles and reduced accumulation of key bioactive compounds including glucosinolates and antioxidants. The results suggest that microplastic contamination of agricultural soils can alter the nutritional and phytochemical quality of edible crops.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 66 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Can Change Soil Properties and Affect Plant Performance

Researchers tested six different types of microplastics in soil and found that they altered key soil properties including water-holding capacity, bulk density, and microbial activity. These changes in soil structure had cascading effects on plant growth, with some microplastic types reducing above-ground biomass. The study demonstrates that microplastics can fundamentally change how soil functions, with consequences for plant health and ecosystem stability.

2019 Environmental Science & Technology 1910 citations
Article Tier 2

The role of microplastic pollution in the modification of the physicochemical properties of arable soil and uptake of potential toxic elements by plants

Researchers conducted a series of studies analyzing how microplastic pollution modifies the physicochemical properties of arable soil and affects the uptake of potentially toxic heavy metals by plants, beginning with a comprehensive literature review of microplastic interactions with plant physiology, metals, pesticides, and pathogens.

2025 Prace Naukowe Uniwersytetu Ekonomicznego we Wrocławiu
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics and cadmium co-contamination on soil properties, maize (Zea mays L.) growth characteristics, and cadmium accumulation in maize in loessial soil-maize systems

Researchers studied the combined effects of polyethylene microplastics and cadmium on soil properties and maize growth through pot experiments. They found that microplastics altered soil nutrient availability and, depending on size and concentration, either increased or decreased cadmium uptake by the plants. The study suggests that microplastic contamination in agricultural soils can change how crops absorb toxic heavy metals, with potential implications for food safety.

2024 Environmental Pollution 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined effects of microplastics and cadmium on the soil-plant system: Phytotoxicity, Cd accumulation and microbial activity

Researchers tested how different microplastic types combined with cadmium affect plant growth and soil health. Aged and biodegradable microplastics increased cadmium uptake in mustard greens more than fresh conventional plastics did. The study also found that microplastics altered soil microbial activity, suggesting that plastic pollution in farmland could change how plants absorb toxic metals from contaminated soil.

2023 Environmental Pollution 51 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of polyethylene microplastics on Brassica rapa: Toxicity mechanism investigation

Researchers exposed the fast-growing plant Brassica rapa (related to turnip and cabbage) to polyethylene microplastics that had been degraded by sunlight, finding that the plastics stunted plant growth by up to 51% and triggered cellular stress responses. Genetic analysis revealed the microplastics disrupted the plant's immune and growth pathways, providing insight into how plastic pollution in agricultural soil could affect food crops.

2024 Emerging contaminants 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessment of physiological stress on plants grown in soil contaminated with microplastics

Researchers tested how three types of microplastics (PET, HDPE, and polyester) affect the growth and health of spring onion and okra plants. They found that all microplastic types reduced chlorophyll levels, increased oxidative stress, and stunted plant growth, with HDPE and polyester causing the most damage. The study highlights the potential ecological risks microplastics pose to vegetable crops grown in contaminated soil.

2025 Scientific Reports 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of PVC microplastics on soil chemical and microbiological parameters

Researchers found that PVC microplastics altered soil chemical properties and significantly affected microbial community composition and enzymatic activities in agricultural soil, with effects varying over different incubation periods in microcosm experiments.

2023 Environmental Research 42 citations
Article Tier 2

Coupled Effects of Polyethylene Microplastics and Cadmium on Soil–Plant Systems: Impact on Soil Properties and Cadmium Uptake in Lettuce

Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastics interact with cadmium contamination in soil and its effects on lettuce growth. The study found that microplastics combined with cadmium significantly decreased soil quality and that microplastics can alter cadmium uptake in plants, suggesting that co-contamination of agricultural soils with both pollutants may pose compounded risks to food crop safety.

2025 Toxics 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in soil differentially interfere with nutritional aspects of chilli peppers

Growing chilli peppers in soil contaminated with five different microplastic types — including PVC, PS, HDPE, LDPE, and PET — significantly reduced nutritional quality, with PVC causing the greatest losses in protein, vitamins A and B6, and fatty acids. This research demonstrates a direct pathway by which soil microplastic pollution could degrade the nutritional value of food crops, with implications for food security and human health.

2023 South African Journal of Botany 14 citations
Article Tier 2

The response of Chinese Cabbage (Brassica rapa L.) to the co-contamination of nanoplastics with different polarity and Ketoprofen

Researchers grew Chinese cabbage in soil contaminated with polyethylene and polypropylene nanoparticles alone and in combination with the pharmaceutical ketoprofen. Both nanoparticle types reduced plant biomass and caused oxidative stress, with polypropylene being more toxic because it translocated from roots to aerial parts, and the combination with ketoprofen intensified all harmful effects.

2025 Environmental Technology & Innovation
Article Tier 2

Impact of Plastic Residues on Soil Properties and Crop Productivity: A Comprehensive Research Study

This agricultural field study assessed how plastic residues at varying contamination levels affect soil physical, chemical, and biological properties and crop productivity, finding that higher microplastic concentrations disrupted soil structure, reduced microbial activity, and lowered plant growth.

2025 Futuristic Biotechnology
Article Tier 2

The effects of microplastics on crop variation depend on polymer types and their interactions with soil nutrient availability and weed competition

Researchers investigated how different types of microplastics interact with soil nutrient availability and weed competition to affect crop growth. The study found that the effects of microplastics on plant performance depend on the polymer type and are modulated by fertilization levels and competition from weeds, suggesting that real-world agricultural impacts of microplastic pollution may be more complex than laboratory studies indicate.

2024 Plant Biology 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of polypropylene microplastics and lead (Pb) contamination on soil properties and the growth response of Ficus Benjamina

Researchers found that polypropylene microplastics and lead contamination together cause greater harm to soil chemistry and plant growth than either contaminant alone, with Ficus plants showing significantly reduced leaf area, root length, and total biomass when exposed to both. Microplastics also lowered soil pH and depleted essential nutrients, compounding the toxic effects of the heavy metal.

2025 Discover Toxicology