Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

Fate of nano/microplastics and associated toxic pollutants in paddy ecosystems: Current knowledge and future perspectives

Researchers reviewed how micro- and nanoplastics enter rice paddies through irrigation, mulch films, and atmospheric deposition, then harm soil health and rice plant growth by disrupting nutrient cycles and increasing oxidative stress. Their findings are especially significant because rice feeds more than half the world's population, yet research on plastic contamination in paddy systems remains very limited.

2024 Earth Critical Zone 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics affect rice (Oryza sativa L.) quality by interfering metabolite accumulation and energy expenditure pathways: A field study

Researchers conducted a field study examining how polystyrene microplastics affect rice grain quality at the molecular level using metabolomic and transcriptomic analysis. They found that microplastic exposure interfered with metabolite accumulation and energy pathways in the rice plants, ultimately reducing grain quality. The study provides real-world evidence that microplastic contamination in agricultural soils can directly compromise the nutritional quality of a major food crop.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 193 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecological and physiological risks of micro- and nanoplastics in rice agroecosystems: Challenges and engineering-based mitigation approaches

Researchers reviewed how micro- and nanoplastics harm rice — a staple crop feeding billions — by disrupting root growth, reducing photosynthesis, altering soil microbes, and making heavy metals more available to plants. The review proposes that ecological engineering strategies like microbial bioremediation and organic soil amendments could help protect agricultural land from plastic contamination.

2026 Journal of Ecological Engineering
Article Tier 2

Effects of nanoplastics on the growth, transcription, and metabolism of rice (Oryza sativa L.) and synergistic effects in the presence of iron plaque and humic acid

This study examined how nanoplastics affect rice plant growth, finding that the tiny particles were absorbed by roots and entered plant cells. Nanoplastic exposure reduced important enzyme activity and protein levels in roots, disrupting normal plant metabolism. The presence of iron plaque and humic acid in the soil changed how much nanoplastic the plants took up, suggesting that real-world soil conditions play a key role in how crops are affected.

2024 Environmental Pollution 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Rhizosphere nutrient dynamics and physiological responses of Oryza sativa L. under polyethylene terephthalate microplastic stress

Researchers exposed rice (Oryza sativa) to PET microplastics and found that the particles were absorbed by roots and translocated to aerial tissues, significantly inhibiting chlorophyll production, inducing oxidative stress (with malondialdehyde increasing by 175% at higher doses), and disrupting nitrogen, carbon, and phosphorus cycling genes in the rhizosphere.

2025 Plant Physiology and Biochemistry
Article Tier 2

Size-dependent effects of polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics on the quality of rice grains and the metabolism mechanism

Researchers found that tiny polystyrene plastic particles (under 100 nanometers) were absorbed by rice roots and traveled up into the grain, reducing protein content by up to 29%. The smallest particles weakened the plant's natural defenses by disrupting sugar metabolism. This means microplastics in soil could be silently lowering the nutritional quality of rice that people eat.

2025 Environmental Pollution 7 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

The effect of microplastic pollution on rice growth, paddy soil properties, and greenhouse gas emissions: A global meta-analysis

This global meta-analysis of 40 studies found that microplastics reduce rice biomass by inducing oxidative stress and inhibiting photosynthesis, while depleting soil nitrogen, phosphorus, and organic carbon. Microplastics also stimulate nitrous oxide emissions from paddy soils, posing a dual threat to food security and climate through impaired rice production and increased greenhouse gas output.

2025 Environmental Research 1 citations
Article Tier 2

The effect of microplastic contaminated compost on the growth of rice seedlings

Researchers found that adding PET microplastics to compost significantly harmed rice seedling growth, reducing root length by 38%, plant height by 25%, and chlorophyll content by up to 55%. The microplastics appeared to interfere with nutrient uptake and photosynthesis. This is concerning because compost used in agriculture is often contaminated with plastic waste, which could reduce crop yields and potentially affect food quality.

2024 Journal of the Saudi Society of Agricultural Sciences 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Investigation of the effects of polyethylene microplastics at environmentally relevant concentrations on the plant-soil-microbiota system: A two-year field trial

Researchers conducted a two-year field trial to study how polyethylene microplastics at environmentally relevant concentrations affect crops, soil, and microbial communities in a rice-wheat rotation system. They found that microplastics did not harm wheat growth but actually increased rice grain weight and plant height, while reducing soil nutrient levels including nitrogen and phosphorus. The study reveals that microplastics can alter soil bacterial communities and disrupt metabolic processes in ways that differ between crop seasons.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro (nano) plastic pollution: The ecological influence on soil-plant system and human health.

This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics affect soil health, plant growth, and food quality, finding that these particles accumulate in plant root systems and can reduce crop yields and alter nutritional content. Since contaminated soil and water are increasingly delivering microplastics to food crops, these findings are directly relevant to agricultural food safety.

2021 The Science of the total environment
Article Tier 2

Microplastics have rice cultivar-dependent impacts on grain yield and quality, and nitrogenous gas losses from paddy, but not on soil properties

A pot experiment with different rice cultivars found that polyethylene microplastics affected grain yield, quality, and nitrogen cycling in a cultivar-dependent manner, indicating that genetic background modulates plant sensitivity to microplastic contamination. The findings have implications for agricultural management in regions where microplastic-contaminated soils are common.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 61 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of Nanoplastic Contamination on Rhizosphere Microbiome and Plant Phenotype

This study examined how nanoplastic contamination affects the rhizosphere microbiome (soil bacteria around plant roots) and plant growth. Nanoplastic exposure altered soil microbial communities and reduced plant growth, suggesting these tiny plastic particles could disrupt the soil ecosystems that support food production.

2023
Article Tier 2

Changes in carbohydrate metabolism and soil microorganisms under the stress of polyamide and polyethylene nanoplastics during rice (Oryza sativa L.) growth

This study exposed rice seedlings to polyamide and polyethylene nanoplastics in soil and examined effects on carbohydrate metabolism and soil microbial communities during plant growth. Both nanoplastic types disrupted soil microorganisms and altered plant carbohydrate metabolism, with implications for crop productivity and soil health.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Evidence and Impacts of Nanoplastic Accumulation on Crop Grains

Researchers investigated whether nanoplastics from contaminated soil can accumulate inside crop grains, studying rice and peanuts grown in nanoplastic-treated soil. They found that nanoplastics traveled from the roots into the grains, reducing rice seed-setting rates by about 3% and peanut seed weight by roughly 3.5%, while also lowering nutritional quality. This is the first study to confirm nanoplastic accumulation in edible crop grains, raising concerns about food chain contamination.

2022 Advanced Science 100 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of microplastics and nanoplastics on cereal crops

This review summarized how microplastics and nanoplastics in soil affect cereal crops including wheat, rice, and maize, finding that even small amounts can inhibit seed germination, reduce root growth, and impair nutrient uptake. Microplastic contamination of agricultural soils poses a direct threat to global food security.

2021 Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research
Article Tier 2

Polylactic acid microplastics have stronger positive effects on the qualitative traits of rice (Oryza sativa L.) than polyethylene microplastics: Evidence from a simulated field experiment

Researchers found that both polyethylene and biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics in soil affected the quality of rice grains by changing their mineral content, fatty acid profiles, and amino acid levels. Interestingly, PLA microplastics had some positive effects on grain yield and weight, while PE microplastics more significantly disrupted the nutritional composition. This study shows that microplastic contamination in farm soil can alter the nutritional quality of rice, a staple food for billions of people, even when the plants appear to grow well.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Unveiling the detrimental effects of polylactic acid microplastics on rice seedlings and soil health

Researchers found that even biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics significantly harmed rice plants at high concentrations, reducing root and shoot weight by roughly half and disrupting photosynthesis, while also altering soil enzyme activity and bacterial communities. These findings challenge the assumption that biodegradable plastics are harmless to agriculture and raise questions about their impact on food crops that humans depend on.

2024 Chemosphere 41 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Toxic effects of microplastics and nanoplastics on plants: A global meta-analysis

This meta-analysis of 101 studies found that micro- and nanoplastics negatively affect plant physiology, with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) showing the strongest impact on fresh weight, chlorophyll, and reactive oxygen species. Microplastics inhibited most growth and photosynthetic indicators more strongly than nanoplastics, and exposure consistently triggered increased biochemical stress enzyme activity.

2023 Environmental Pollution 46 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of microplastics from polyethylene and biodegradable mulch films on rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Researchers studied how microplastics from both conventional polyethylene and biodegradable mulch films affect rice growth. Both types of microplastics reduced plant height and weight, caused oxidative stress, inhibited photosynthesis, and altered gene expression related to nutrient uptake. This study is important because it shows that even biodegradable plastics can harm food crops, raising concerns about the quality and safety of rice grown in microplastic-contaminated agricultural soil.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 200 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastic–plant interaction and implications for soil health

This review summarizes research on how nanoplastics interact with plants in soil environments, finding that these tiny particles can be taken up by roots and transported to all plant organs, including edible parts like grain. Researchers found that nanoplastics induce oxidative stress in plants, inhibiting photosynthesis and growth, and can also carry other soil pollutants into plant tissues. The study highlights significant concerns about nanoplastic contamination entering the food chain through agricultural crops.

2022 Soil Use and Management 46 citations
Article Tier 2

The effects of Micro/Nano-plastics exposure on plants and their toxic mechanisms: A review from multi-omics perspectives.

A multi-omics review of micro/nanoplastic effects on plants found that plastic exposure disrupts gene expression, protein function, and metabolic pathways across multiple plant systems, with potential consequences for crop yield and agricultural food safety.

2024 Journal of hazardous materials
Article Tier 2

Multifunctional Roles and Ecological Implications of Nano-Enabled Technologies in Oryza sativa Production Systems: A Comprehensive Review

This review examined the use of nano-enabled technologies in rice farming, covering their roles in boosting plant resilience, nutrient uptake, and the efficiency of fertilizers and pesticides. Researchers identified nanoplastic pollution as an emerging concern within agricultural systems alongside more established issues like heavy metal stress. The study calls for standardized environmental risk assessments before these technologies can be widely adopted in food production.

2025 Plants 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Polyvinyl chloride microplastics and drought co-exposure alter rice growth by affecting metabolomics and proteomics

Researchers investigated how PVC microplastics combined with drought stress affect rice growth using advanced protein and metabolite analysis. They found that both stressors individually harmed rice development, but together they caused even greater damage to plant metabolism and growth. The study reveals that microplastic contamination in agricultural soils may worsen the effects of drought on crop production.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Response of rice (Oryza sativa L.) roots to nanoplastic treatment at seedling stage

Researchers exposed rice seedlings to polystyrene nanoplastics and found that the particles were taken up by the roots, aided by water-transporting proteins in the plant. The nanoplastics triggered oxidative stress, reduced root length, and disrupted carbon metabolism and hormone production in the seedlings. The study raises concerns that nanoplastic contamination in agricultural soils could affect crop growth and potentially enter the human food supply through rice consumption.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 411 citations