Papers

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Article Tier 2

The Effects of Polystyrene Microplastics and Copper Ion Co-Contamination on the Growth of Rice Seedlings

Researchers studied how polystyrene microplastics and copper ions interact when both are present in the water supply of rice seedlings. They found that microplastics actually reduced copper toxicity by absorbing the metal ions, but both pollutants weakened the plant's antioxidant defenses. The study suggests that microplastics and heavy metals interact in complex ways in agricultural systems, with implications for crop health and food safety.

2024 Nanomaterials 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined Exposure to Polyethylene Microplastics and Copper Affects Growth and Antioxidant Responses in Rice Seedlings

Researchers exposed rice seedlings to polyethylene microplastics and copper both individually and in combination and found that microplastics significantly enhanced copper uptake, increasing accumulation by about 25% compared to copper alone. While microplastics alone had minimal effects on growth, the combined exposure intensified oxidative stress in roots and altered antioxidant defense responses. The study demonstrates that microplastics can increase the bioavailability and toxicity of heavy metals in agricultural crop systems.

2025 Environments 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Understanding the Role of Low-Dose Polystyrene Microplastic in Copper Toxicity to Rice Seed (Oryza sativa L.)

This study explored how polystyrene microplastics interact with copper toxicity in rice seeds. Researchers found that microplastics actually reduced copper's harmful effects by physically accumulating on seed coats and blocking copper absorption, lowering the amount of copper taken up by seedlings by about 34%. The findings highlight how microplastics can alter the way other environmental contaminants affect plants.

2024 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Exploration of Single and Co-Toxic Effects of Polypropylene Micro-Plastics and Cadmium on Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Researchers investigated the single and combined toxic effects of polypropylene microplastics and cadmium on rice plants, finding that co-exposure altered cadmium bioavailability and produced compounded negative effects on plant growth and development.

2022 Nanomaterials 32 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Microplastics on the Mineral Elements Absorption and Accumulation in Hydroponic Rice Seedlings (Oryza sativa L.)

Researchers exposed rice seedlings to different concentrations of polyethylene microplastics in hydroponic conditions and measured the effects on mineral nutrient absorption. They found that while microplastics did not affect shoot growth, they significantly altered the uptake and distribution of essential mineral elements in the plants. The study suggests that microplastic contamination in agricultural settings could disrupt crop nutrition even without visible growth impacts.

2022 Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 56 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on growth and metabolism of rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Researchers found that polystyrene and polyvinyl chloride microplastics inhibited rice growth and disrupted ionic homeostasis and antioxidant metabolism in a dose-dependent manner, with PVC microplastics causing more severe effects than polystyrene.

2022 Chemosphere 153 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastics enhanced the toxicity of cadmium to rice seedlings: Evidence from rice growth, physiology, and element metabolism

Polystyrene microplastics combined with cadmium -- a toxic heavy metal -- caused more damage to rice seedlings than either pollutant alone, reducing growth and disrupting the balance of essential nutrients. At higher concentrations, the microplastics significantly increased how much cadmium the plants absorbed into their above-ground parts. This matters for human health because rice is a staple food for billions of people, and microplastic-contaminated farmland could lead to higher heavy metal levels in the food supply.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 20 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

Combined Effects of Polyethylene and Bordeaux Mixture on the Soil–Plant System: Phytotoxicity, Copper Accumulation and Changes in Microbial Abundance

Researchers studied the combined effects of polyethylene microplastics and Bordeaux mixture (a copper-based fungicide) on lettuce growth and soil microbes over 28 days. They found that copper treatments affected root and shoot growth, while microplastics alone showed limited effects and may have reduced copper bioavailability. The study suggests that the interaction between agricultural plastics and agrochemical residues creates complex, sometimes offsetting effects on soil-plant systems.

2025 Agriculture 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Investigating the Impact of Microplastics Type of Polyethylene, Polypropylene, and Polystyrene on Seed Germination and Early Growth of Rice Plants

Researchers investigated how three common types of microplastics, polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene, affect rice seed germination and early seedling growth. They found that microplastic exposure altered root development and shoot growth, with the effects varying by polymer type. The study raises concerns about how microplastic-contaminated agricultural soils could affect staple crop establishment and food production.

2024 Environmental Quality Management 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined effects of polystyrene microplastics and copper on the growth and nutritional profile of Raphidocelis subcapitata

Researchers investigated the combined effects of polystyrene microplastics and copper on the growth and nutritional profile of the freshwater green alga Raphidocelis subcapitata, examining whether co-exposure to these two contaminants produces interactive toxicity effects beyond individual exposures.

2022 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Combined effects of polyamide microplastic and sulfamethoxazole in modulating the growth and transcriptome profile of hydroponically grown rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Researchers studied the combined effects of polyamide microplastics and the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole on rice seedlings irrigated with reclaimed wastewater, testing single and combined exposures at multiple concentrations. Results showed interactions between microplastics and the antibiotic that affected seedling growth and uptake of the contaminants.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment
Article Tier 2

Microplastic particles increase arsenic toxicity to rice seedlings

Researchers studied how polystyrene and polytetrafluoroethylene microplastics interact with arsenic to affect rice seedling growth. They found that microplastics alone reduced plant biomass and inhibited photosynthesis, while the combination with arsenic at higher concentrations amplified the toxic effects on root activity and cell membranes. The study reveals that microplastic contamination in agricultural settings may worsen the impact of other pollutants on food crops.

2019 Environmental Pollution 444 citations
Article Tier 2

Co-exposure of maize to polyethylene microplastics and ZnO nanoparticles: Impact on growth, fate, and interaction

Researchers studied the combined effects of polyethylene microplastics and zinc oxide nanoparticles on maize growth in a pot experiment. The study found that co-exposure altered plant growth, the fate of nanoparticles in the soil-plant system, and the interaction between these two common agricultural contaminants, suggesting that microplastics can influence how other pollutants behave in crop production.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessing the interactive effects of microplastics and acid rain on cadmium toxicity in rice seedlings: Insights from physiological and transcriptomic analyses

Researchers studied how the combination of microplastics, acid rain, and cadmium affects rice seedling growth. They found that at high cadmium concentrations, the presence of microplastics and acid rain actually reduced cadmium's toxic effects by lowering how much of the metal accumulated in the plants. The study provides nuanced evidence that interactions between multiple environmental pollutants can sometimes produce unexpected outcomes, which matters for understanding food safety in contaminated agricultural areas.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 6 citations
Clinical Trial Tier 1

Effect of High-Density Polyethylene, Polyvinyl Chloride and Low-Density Polyethylene Microplastics on Seeding of Paddy

This study tested how three common types of plastic microparticles affect rice seedling growth, finding that they can interfere with early plant development. The results matter for food safety because rice is a staple crop for billions of people, and microplastic contamination in agricultural soil could affect crop yields and potentially introduce plastic particles into the food supply.

2024 Sarhad Journal of Agriculture 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of microplastics on bioaccumulation of heavy metals in rape (Brassica napus L.)

Researchers found that microplastics influenced the bioaccumulation of copper and lead in rapeseed plants, with effects varying by microplastic concentration and heavy metal type, revealing how plastic pollution may alter contaminant uptake in crops.

2021 Chemosphere 165 citations
Article Tier 2

Interactive effects of polystyrene microplastics and Pb on growth and phytochemicals in mung bean (Vigna radiata L.)

Researchers studied the combined effects of polystyrene microplastics and lead on mung bean plants. They found that when both pollutants were present together, the damage was more severe, reducing plant weight, impairing photosynthesis, and disrupting chlorophyll production and enzyme activity. The study suggests that microplastics and heavy metals can interact to create amplified harmful effects on crop plants in contaminated agricultural environments.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 56 citations
Article Tier 2

[Effects of Combined Pollution of Microplastics and Lead on Maize Seed Germination and Growth].

Researchers grew maize seeds in water spiked with lead and three common microplastics (polyethylene, polypropylene, and PVC) to test their combined effects on germination and early growth. All three plastics individually inhibited germination to varying degrees, but when combined with lead the effects were generally antagonistic — meaning the mixture was less toxic than each pollutant alone. These findings are important for understanding real-world soil contamination, where microplastics and heavy metals often co-occur in agricultural environments.

2023 PubMed 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined effects of micron-sized polyvinyl chloride particles and copper on seed germination of perilla

Combined exposure of perilla seeds to PVC microplastics and copper showed that low copper concentrations promoted germination while high concentrations inhibited it, with PVC particles modifying the dose-response relationship.

2024 Environmental Geochemistry and Health 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Zinc oxide nanoparticles and polyethylene microplastics affect the growth, physiological and biochemical attributes, and Zn accumulation of rice seedlings

Researchers found that both zinc oxide nanoparticles and polyethylene microplastics disrupted growth, physiology, and zinc uptake in two rice cultivars, with nanoparticles having a stronger effect than microplastics, and responses varying by cultivar and dose.

2022 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined Inhibitory Effect of Canada Goldenrod Invasion and Soil Microplastics on Rice Growth

Researchers found that the combination of invasive Canada goldenrod plants and soil microplastics reduced rice biomass and disrupted antioxidant enzyme activity more severely than either stressor alone, suggesting that microplastic pollution can amplify the agricultural harm caused by invasive plant species.

2022 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 36 citations
Article Tier 2

The Effects of Microplastics and Heavy Metals Individually and in Combination on the Growth of Water Spinach (Ipomoea aquatic) and Rhizosphere Microorganisms

Researchers tested how combinations of microplastics and heavy metals (cadmium and lead) affect the growth of water spinach and the microbial communities in its root zone. They found that all three stressors individually inhibited plant growth, and combining microplastics with heavy metals intensified the toxic effects while reducing the availability of essential soil nutrients. The study suggests that microplastic-heavy metal interactions in agricultural soils may pose compounding risks to both crop health and soil ecosystem function.

2025 Agronomy 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Oxidative Damage in Roots of Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Seedlings Exposed to Microplastics or Combined with Cadmium

Rice seedlings exposed to polystyrene microplastics and cadmium showed combined toxic effects on root growth, fresh and dry weight, and antioxidant enzyme activities, with combined exposure producing greater oxidative damage than either pollutant alone. The study highlights synergistic phytotoxicity in a staple crop relevant to food security in microplastic-contaminated paddy soils.

2022 Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 19 citations