Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Microplastics and plant health: A comprehensive analysis of entry pathways, physiological impacts, and remediation strategies

This comprehensive review examines how microplastics enter plant systems, the physiological and biochemical impacts on plant health, and the implications for crop productivity and food safety, synthesizing evidence that MPs can reduce germination, growth, and nutritional quality in agricultural plants.

2025 International Journal of Advanced Biochemistry Research
Systematic Review Tier 1

Effects of nano- & microplastics on terrestrial plants are ubiquitous and widespread: a systematic review

This systematic review finds that nano- and microplastics have widespread negative effects on plants, including reduced germination, stunted growth, and biochemical stress responses. Since plants form the base of our food supply, these findings suggest that microplastic contamination in agricultural soils could affect crop health and potentially the quality of food we eat.

2023 CNR ExploRA
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

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

Recent advances on microplastics/nanoplastics interaction with plant species: A concise review

This review synthesizes research on how microplastics and nanoplastics interact with plants, finding that plastic particles in soil can interfere with root uptake, germination, and crop yields depending on the type and concentration of plastic present. The findings are particularly relevant to human health because food crops grown in microplastic-contaminated agricultural soils may absorb or accumulate plastic particles, creating a direct dietary exposure route.

2023 Malaysian Journal of Chemical Engineering and Technology
Review Tier 2

Unveiling the mechanism of micro-and-nano plastic phytotoxicity on terrestrial plants: A comprehensive review of omics approaches.

This comprehensive review examined how micro-and-nano plastics (MNPs) in terrestrial soils damage plant health by inhibiting water and nutrient uptake, reducing seed germination, impairing photosynthesis, and inducing oxidative stress. The review identified key knowledge gaps in understanding MNP phytotoxicity mechanisms and their implications for food security.

2025 Environment international
Article Tier 2

Environmental risk substances in soil on seed germination: Chemical species, inhibition performance, and mechanisms

This review summarizes how various soil pollutants including microplastics, heavy metals, and petroleum chemicals inhibit crop seed germination and early growth. Microplastics can physically block water absorption by seeds and release toxic additives that impair root development. The findings are relevant to food security because microplastic contamination of agricultural soil could reduce crop yields and affect the food supply.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 14 citations
Article Tier 2

A critical review of microplastics in the soil-plant system: Distribution, uptake, phytotoxicity and prevention

This review brings together data from over 1,000 sampling sites worldwide to map microplastic contamination in soil and its effects on plants. Microplastics can delay seed germination, stunt plant growth, inhibit photosynthesis, and cause genetic damage to crops. The findings raise concerns about food safety because microplastics in agricultural soil could both reduce crop yields and introduce contaminants into the food chain.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 281 citations
Article Tier 2

Particulate plastics-plant interaction in soil and its implications: A review

This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics in soil interact with plants, including uptake through roots, accumulation in plant tissues, and effects on growth, nutrient absorption, and soil microbial communities. The study highlights that these plastic particles can alter soil structure and chemistry in ways that affect crop development, raising concerns about food safety and agricultural productivity.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 93 citations
Article Tier 2

Accumulation of plastics in terrestrial crop plants and its impact on the plant growth

This review examines how small plastic particles accumulate in crop plants and affect plant growth, finding that microplastics can enter plant tissues and disrupt physiological processes. Crops grown in microplastic-contaminated soil could carry plastic particles into the food supply, raising concerns about dietary exposure.

2021 Journal of Applied Biology & Biotechnology 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Biochemical Impact of Microplastic Exposure on Seed Enzyme Activation During Early Germination

This study examined how microplastic exposure affects antioxidant enzyme activity in seeds during early germination, finding that microplastics disrupted key biochemical processes required for seed activation. The results suggest soil microplastic contamination could impair crop establishment.

2024 African Journal of Biomedical Research
Article Tier 2

Effect of microplastics on the biochemistry of plant

This review synthesizes research on the pathways by which microplastics and nanoplastics are taken up and translocated in plant tissues, the biochemical effects on plant development and nutritional quality, and the detection techniques used to study plant-microplastic interactions. The authors identify major knowledge gaps in understanding soil-borne microplastic behavior and its ecological consequences for agricultural systems.

2024 Microplastics
Article Tier 2

Microplastics interaction with terrestrial plants and their impacts on agriculture

This review summarizes what is known about how microplastics interact with terrestrial plants, including how they are taken up, transported through plant tissues, and affect growth and agricultural productivity. Researchers note that while marine microplastic research is extensive, studies on soil ecosystems and crop impacts remain limited. The study highlights the need for more research on how microplastics in agricultural soils may ultimately affect food safety and human health.

2021 Journal of Environmental Quality 114 citations
Article Tier 2

Interaction of micro and nanoplastics (MNPs) with agricultural stored products and their pests

This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics interact with agricultural stored products, including their effects on grain quality and stored-product pests. Researchers found that these tiny plastic particles can infiltrate grains through atmospheric deposition, packaging residues, and pest activity, potentially altering mineral content, protein composition, and starch synthesis. The study highlights the need for strategies to address both microplastic contamination and pest management in food storage systems.

2025 The Science of The Total Environment 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics could be a threat to plants in terrestrial systems directly or indirectly

This review synthesized evidence on how microplastics threaten terrestrial plants both directly — through seed pore blockage, root uptake, and accumulation in tissues — and indirectly — by disrupting mycorrhizal fungi and earthworms that support plant nutrition and soil structure.

2020 Environmental Pollution 434 citations
Article Tier 2

Agricultural Microplastics Pollution: From Hidden Threats to Global Food Security Towards Sustainable Strategies

This comprehensive review examines agricultural microplastic pollution across the atmosphere, soil, water, and biological systems, proposing a framework linking farming-derived MP contamination to food security risks and calling for integrated approaches to manage MNPs in agricultural systems.

2025 Plant Cell & Environment
Article Tier 2

Integrating microplastic research in sustainable agriculture: Challenges and future directions for food production

Researchers reviewed how microplastics interact with environmental stressors like heat, drought, and salinity to threaten crop health and food safety, finding that microplastics can increase toxic metal uptake in plants and alter growth — with risks likely to worsen as climate change intensifies.

2025 Current Plant Biology 2 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
Systematic Review Tier 1

Nano- and microplastics commonly cause adverse impacts on plants at environmentally relevant levels: A systematic review

Systematic review of 78 studies found that nano- and microplastics commonly cause adverse effects on plants even at environmentally relevant concentrations, with germination and root growth more strongly affected than shoot growth during early development. Chlorophyll levels were consistently reduced while stress indicators (ROS) and antioxidant enzymes were consistently upregulated across species.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 100 citations
Article Tier 2

Accumulation of Microplastics in Agroecosystems and Its Effects on Terrestrial Plants: A Short Review

This review examines how microplastics accumulate in agricultural ecosystems and affect terrestrial plants, finding evidence of uptake into plant tissues, disruption of germination and growth, and potential entry into the food chain through crops. The authors highlight significant knowledge gaps regarding microplastic sources, pathways, and long-term impacts in agricultural soils.

2023 Current Applied Science and Technology 9 citations
Review Tier 2

Effects of Microplastics on Higher Plants: A Review

This review examines how microplastics affect higher plants, covering impacts on seed germination, root growth, photosynthesis, and nutrient uptake, while highlighting the role of plastic type, size, and concentration in determining phytotoxicity.

2022 Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 136 citations
Article Tier 2

Impacts of microplastics on terrestrial plants: A critical review

This review examines how microplastics affect land-based plants, finding that they can alter soil structure, disrupt beneficial soil microbes, and reduce plant growth. Microplastics also carry toxic chemicals like plasticizers and heavy metals that can be taken up by plant roots and enter the food chain. The findings raise concerns about human health since contaminated crops could be a hidden source of microplastic and chemical exposure in our diets.

2024 Land Degradation and Development 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of microplastics on terrestrial ecosystems: A plant-centric perspective

This review focuses on how microplastics affect plants and soil health in agricultural settings, an area that has received less attention than marine microplastic pollution. The researchers describe how microplastics can alter soil structure, disrupt microbial communities, and enter plant tissues through unique transport mechanisms. The study highlights that agricultural soils are a major sink for microplastics, with potential consequences for food safety and crop productivity.

2024 Environmental Pollution and Management 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Environmental levels of microplastics disrupt growth and stress pathways in edible crops via species-specific mechanisms

Researchers studied how environmentally realistic levels of microplastics affect the growth and stress responses of edible crops. The study found that microplastics disrupt plant growth and stress pathways through mechanisms that vary by crop species. These findings highlight the importance of understanding how different plants interact with microplastic particles when assessing risks to agricultural food production.

2025 Frontiers in Plant Science 3 citations