Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Mechanistic insight into the intensification of arsenic toxicity to rice (Oryza sativa L.) by nanoplastic: Phytohormone and glutathione metabolism modulation

Nanoplastics at environmentally realistic levels did not harm rice plants on their own, but when combined with arsenic they made arsenic toxicity significantly worse, reducing plant growth by up to 23%. The nanoplastics increased arsenic uptake by disrupting plant hormones and weakening the plant's natural detoxification systems. This is concerning because rice is a staple food for billions of people, and agricultural soils increasingly contain both nanoplastics and heavy metals.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Phenotypic and transcriptomic shifts in roots and leaves of rice under the joint stress from microplastic and arsenic

This study examined how rice plants respond when exposed to both microplastics and heavy metal cadmium at the same time. Researchers found that the combination caused distinct changes in root and leaf gene expression and growth patterns compared to either pollutant alone. The findings suggest that microplastics may alter how plants take up and respond to heavy metals, potentially affecting crop safety.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 44 citations
Article Tier 2

A novel mechanism study of microplastic and As co-contamination on indica rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Researchers used pot experiments and computational chemistry to study how polystyrene and polytetrafluoroethylene microplastics affect arsenic uptake in rice plants. They found that both types of microplastics interacted with rice root compounds and influenced how much arsenic the plants absorbed from contaminated soil. The study reveals a previously unknown mechanism by which microplastic pollution in agricultural soils could increase toxic metal accumulation in a major food crop.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 141 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics change the safe production ability of arsenic-stressed rice (Oryza sativa L.) by regulating the antioxidant capacity, arsenic absorption, and distribution in rice

Researchers studied how polyethylene and biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics interact with arsenic contamination to affect rice growth and food safety. They found that the type of microplastic influenced how arsenic accumulated in different parts of the rice plant, with some combinations increasing arsenic levels in the edible grain. The findings raise concerns about microplastic contamination in agricultural soils altering how toxic metals are taken up by food crops.

2025 Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Deciphering Pesticide Stress Responses in Rice Through Integrated Multi-Omic Assessment

This review synthesizes research on how pesticide exposure affects rice plants at the molecular level, drawing on transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic studies. Researchers found that pesticides trigger detoxification enzymes, alter antioxidant defenses, and reprogram metabolic pathways in rice. The study highlights how integrating multiple omics approaches can provide a more complete picture of pesticide stress responses in crops.

2026 Toxics
Article Tier 2

Multi‐Omics Insights Into Phenylpropanoid and Lipid Barrier Biosynthesis in Maize Roots Under Salt and Microplastic Stresses

Researchers used transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses to investigate how polystyrene microplastics and salt stress — individually and in combination — affect phenylpropanoid and lipid barrier biosynthesis in maize seedling roots, finding that combined stresses alter molecular defence pathways in ways distinct from either stressor alone.

2025 Physiologia Plantarum
Article Tier 2

The effects of multifactorial stress combination on rice and maize

This review examines how plants cope with multiple simultaneous environmental stresses — including drought, heat, flooding, and pollutants like microplastics — finding that combined stressors often cause more harm than individual stresses acting alone.

2022 4 citations
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

Molecular mechanisms of toxicity and detoxification in rice (Oryza sativa L.) exposed to polystyrene nanoplastics

Researchers studied how polystyrene nanoplastics affect rice seedlings at the molecular level. They found that nanoplastic exposure significantly reduced root and shoot growth by over 50%, while triggering oxidative stress and activating genes related to both toxicity and defense responses. The study provides new insights into how crop plants respond to nanoplastic contamination at the genetic and physiological level.

2023 Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 37 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic mediated arsenic toxicity involves differential bioavailability of arsenic and modulated uptake in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Researchers examined how polyethylene and polylactic acid microplastics interact with arsenic contamination in rice paddies. They found that at low arsenic levels, microplastics actually reduced arsenic uptake by rice plants, but at high arsenic concentrations the combination produced synergistic toxic effects. The study reveals that the interaction between microplastics and heavy metals in agricultural soils is more complex than previously thought and depends heavily on contaminant concentration levels.

2025 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Alleviation ofNanoplastic Stress in Rice: Evidencefrom Biochemical, Cytological, Physiological, and Transcriptome Analysis

Researchers investigated nanoplastic stress responses and mitigation strategies in two rice cultivars through biochemical, cytological, physiological, and transcriptome analyses, testing whether molybdenum oxide nanoparticles could alleviate toxicity via heteroaggregation with nanoplastics. Results confirmed nMo reduced oxidative damage markers and that the wild-derived cultivar S18 maintained better physiological function under combined nMo and nanoplastic treatment than cultivated rice.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

The Oryza sativa transcriptome responds spatiotemporally to polystyrene nanoplastic stress

Researchers profiled the full transcriptome of rice roots and leaves at multiple time points during polystyrene nanoplastic exposure, finding that nanoplastics suppress photosynthesis and sugar metabolism while activating plant defense pathways — with effects differing between organs and time points in ways that suggest indirect harm via disruption of plant-microbe interactions.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 10 citations
Article Tier 2

The combined toxicity of polystyrene microplastic and arsenate: From the view of biochemical process in wheat seedlings (Triticum aestivum L.)

Researchers found that when wheat seedlings were exposed to both arsenic and polystyrene microplastics together, the microplastics reduced arsenic uptake in roots but dramatically increased arsenic transport to the above-ground parts of the plant — by up to 1,000%. This combined exposure caused more oxidative stress and damage to the plants' photosynthetic systems than arsenic alone. The findings suggest that microplastics in contaminated soil could increase how much toxic metal ends up in the edible parts of crops.

2024 Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Alleviation of Nanoplastic Stress in Rice: Evidence from Biochemical, Cytological, Physiological, and Transcriptome Analysis

Researchers studied how MoO3 nanoparticles alleviate nanoplastic stress in two rice cultivars, finding that MoO3 heteroaggregates with nanoplastics, reducing their uptake and mitigating biochemical, cytological, and transcriptomic stress responses in rice seedlings.

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

The effect of soil microplastics on Oryza sativa L. root growth traits under alien plant invasion

Researchers studied how microplastics in soil interact with an invasive weed species to affect rice root growth. Both stressors individually harmed rice roots, but their combination produced complex interactive effects that altered root architecture and nutrient uptake. This suggests that microplastic pollution in farmland may compound the damage caused by invasive plants, creating compounding threats to crop productivity.

2023 Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Root architecture-informed nano-remediation strategy for nanoplastics toxicity in maize and soybean

Researchers tested manganese ferrite nanomaterials as a remediation strategy for nanoplastic-stressed maize and soybean crops, finding that soil application better protected fibrous-rooted maize while foliar application better protected taproot soybean — demonstrating that effective nano-remediation strategies must be tailored to crop root architecture.

2025 Plant Physiology and Biochemistry
Article Tier 2

Toxicological effects and transcriptome mechanisms of rice (Oryza sativa L.) under stress of quinclorac and polystyrene nanoplastics

Researchers found that combined exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics and the herbicide quinclorac caused greater toxicity to rice than either stressor alone, with transcriptome analysis revealing disrupted pathways in photosynthesis, oxidative stress response, and hormone signaling.

2022 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Polyethylene Nanoplastics Intensify Arsenic Toxicity in Lettuce by Altering Arsenic Accumulation and Stress Pathways

Researchers grew lettuce in arsenic-contaminated farmland soil amended with polyethylene nanoplastics and found that nanoplastic exposure increased arsenic accumulation in edible leaves by 35–39%, reduced plant biomass by up to 30%, and disrupted antioxidant metabolism, highlighting compounded food safety risks in contaminated agricultural soils.

2026 Toxics
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
Article Tier 2

Microplastics meet invasive plants: Unraveling the ecological hazards to agroecosystems

This study examined how microplastic contamination in soil combines with invasive plant species to affect rice crops. The combination of both stressors caused greater changes in rice metabolism and antioxidant responses than either stressor alone. These findings highlight how microplastic pollution in agricultural soil can interact with other environmental challenges to threaten food safety and crop health.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 70 citations
Article Tier 2

From stress to defense: Spatial confinement of nanoplastics in rice root cell walls via pectin matrix remodeling

Researchers showed that rice roots defend against nanoplastic intrusion by rapidly increasing pectin content in cell walls by 65%, which traps nearly half the nanoplastics within root tissue and stiffens cell walls to suppress upward transport to edible shoots.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 2 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
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

The trojan horse in agricultural water: How microbe-mediated interactions of nanoplastics and flame retardants drive multiscale toxicity and seed transmission in rye

Researchers investigated how nanoplastics and flame retardants interact when co-transported through agricultural irrigation water, using rye as a model crop. The study found that nanoplastics formed stable complexes with flame retardants via van der Waals forces, which accumulated in roots, translocated to seeds, caused severe oxidative damage, and reduced photosynthesis by nearly 65% through synergistic toxic effects.

2026 Water Research