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20 resultsShowing papers similar to Polyethylene microplastics alter root functionality and affect strawberry plant physiology and fruit quality traits
ClearFrom the rhizosphere to plant fitness: Implications of microplastics soil pollution
Researchers exposed strawberry plants to low-density polyethylene microplastics in soil and found significant harm, including reduced chlorophyll levels, altered nutrient uptake, and increased stress responses. The microplastics also shifted the soil microbiome toward potentially harmful fungi and bacteria. These findings show that microplastics in agricultural soil can damage crop health and change the microbial community that plants depend on.
[Effect of Polyvinyl Chloride Microplastics on the Growth and Physiology Characteristics of Strawberry].
Researchers investigated the effects of polyvinyl chloride microplastics on the growth and physiology of strawberry plants, examining impacts on soil characteristics, enzyme activity, and nutrient availability to provide a comprehensive assessment of microplastic toxicity in agricultural settings.
Can microplastics threaten plant productivity and fruit quality? Insights from Micro-Tom and Micro-PET/PVC
Researchers grew tomato plants in soil containing environmentally realistic levels of PET and PVC microplastics and found mixed effects on plant productivity and fruit quality. While some growth parameters were affected, the microplastics also altered the mineral content of the tomatoes. This study suggests that microplastics in agricultural soil could change the nutritional profile of the food we eat.
Aged polyethylene microplastics modulate herbicide and antibiotic bioavailability and plant responses: A case study with glyphosate and tetracycline
Scientists found that tiny plastic particles commonly found in farm soil can stick to plant roots and change how plants absorb harmful chemicals like pesticides and antibiotics. The plastic pieces made plants more stressed and damaged, reducing important nutrients like chlorophyll by 30%. This matters because it could affect the safety and quality of the food we eat, since these plastic particles are becoming more common in agricultural areas where our crops are grown.
Size and concentration-dependent effects of polyethylene microplastics on soil chemistry in a microcosm study
Researchers tested how polyethylene microplastics of different sizes and concentrations affect soil chemistry in a controlled lab setting. They found that the smallest microplastic particles reduced the soil's ability to hold nutrients by nearly 13% and altered dissolved organic matter, while also leaching phthalate chemicals into the soil. The study suggests that as microplastics accumulate in agricultural soils, they could impair important soil functions related to nutrient retention and pollutant movement.
A Combined Effect of Mixed Multi-Microplastic Types on Growth and Yield of Tomato
Researchers grew tomatoes in soil spiked with a mixture of polyethylene, polystyrene, and polypropylene microplastics and found that while the plants appeared to grow normally, the nutritional quality of the fruit changed. Microplastics significantly reduced carotenoids, flavonoids, and sugars in the tomatoes while increasing protein and certain stress-related enzymes. This suggests that even when crops look healthy, microplastics in soil could subtly reduce the nutritional value of the food we eat.
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.
Unraveling the impact of nano-microscale polyethylene and polypropylene plastics on Nicotiana tabacum: Physiological responses and molecular mechanisms
Researchers exposed tobacco plants to polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics of different sizes and found that both types suppressed plant growth in a dose-dependent manner, with polypropylene being more toxic. The microplastics disrupted photosynthesis, triggered oxidative stress, and altered hormone signaling and defense pathways in the plants. These findings demonstrate that microplastic contamination in soil can impair crop growth at the molecular level, potentially affecting agricultural productivity.
Response of soil biochemical properties and ecosystem function to microplastics pollution
This study found that polyethylene microplastics significantly disrupted soil health by reducing enzyme activity, lowering nutrient availability, and impairing overall ecosystem function. Smaller microplastics caused more damage than larger ones, and the effects were dose-dependent, suggesting that as microplastic pollution accumulates in agricultural soil, it could increasingly threaten the soil health that food production depends on.
Effect of emerging contaminants on soil microbial community composition, soil enzyme activity, and strawberry plant growth in polyethylene microplastic-containing soils
Researchers found that emerging contaminants altered soil microbial community composition and enzyme activity, but these effects were suppressed when HDPE microplastics were also present in the soil, suggesting microplastics may modulate how soils respond to chemical contaminants.
The short-term effect of microplastics in lettuce involves size- and dose-dependent coordinate shaping of root metabolome, exudation profile and rhizomicrobiome
Researchers exposed lettuce plants to polyethylene plastic particles of four different sizes and concentrations, finding that the plastics altered root chemistry, changed what the roots released into the soil, and shifted the bacteria living around them. The effects depended strongly on particle size, with smaller particles causing different metabolic changes than larger ones. This study shows that microplastics in farm soil can change the biology of food crops from the roots up, potentially affecting both crop health and nutritional quality.
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.
Impact of microplastics on plant physiology: A meta-analysis of dose, particle size, and crop type interactions in agricultural ecosystems
This meta-analysis of 37 studies found that microplastics significantly decrease plant biomass by 13% and chlorophyll content by 28%, while increasing oxidative stress by 20%. Higher doses and smaller particle sizes caused more damage, with particle size having a greater impact than concentration — and root activity was particularly sensitive to microplastic exposure.
Effects of microplastics polluted soil on the growth of Solanum lycopersicum L.
This study tested how microplastic-contaminated soil affects tomato plant growth, finding that higher concentrations of plastic particles in soil reduced plant height, root development, and overall crop health. The results suggest that microplastic pollution in farmland could reduce food crop yields and potentially affect the quality of the produce we eat.
Micro and nanoplastics as emerging stressors influencing plant metabolism and nutrient dynamics
This review of existing research shows that tiny plastic particles in farm soil can get inside plants and change how they grow and absorb nutrients. When plants take up these microplastics, it could affect the nutritional quality of the fruits and vegetables we eat, potentially impacting our food safety. However, scientists still need more long-term studies to fully understand how serious this threat is to our food supply and health.
Potential translocation process and effects of polystyrene microplastics on strawberry seedlings
Researchers found that tiny polystyrene microplastics (100 and 200 nanometers) can enter strawberry plant roots and travel upward through the plant's internal transport system. The smaller 100-nanometer particles traveled further into the plant than the larger ones, demonstrating that particle size determines how far microplastics spread in crops. This is concerning because it shows microplastics in soil can be taken up by food plants and potentially reach the parts that people eat.
Impact of Microplastics on Soil Health: Soil-Water Retention, Shrinkage and Holding Properties
A review of research on microplastics in soil found that plastic particles can alter water retention, shrinkage, and structural properties in ways that could reduce agricultural productivity. Because microplastics are as prevalent in soils as in oceans, their terrestrial impacts warrant much greater research attention.
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.
Microplastic accumulation and oxidative stress in sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum Linn.): Role of the size effect
Researchers grew sweet peppers in soil containing microplastics of two different sizes and found that smaller particles were taken up and accumulated in the plant roots and stems more readily than larger ones. The microplastics triggered oxidative stress in the plants, with smaller particles causing more damage to the plants' cellular defense systems. This study shows that microplastics in agricultural soil can enter food crops, with smaller particles posing the greatest risk to both plant health and food safety.
Mechanistic insights into the size-dependent bioaccumulation and phytotoxicity of polyethylene microplastics in tomato seedlings
Researchers investigated how polyethylene microplastics of different sizes affect tomato seedlings and found that the smallest particles (1-50 micrometers) caused the most severe damage, reducing shoot weight by 42.3% and root length by 55.1%. The study revealed that microplastic uptake and toxicity are strongly size-dependent, with smaller particles more easily absorbed and translocated through plant tissues, triggering significant oxidative stress.