Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

The Effects of Coexisting Elements (Zn and Ni) on Cd Accumulation and Rhizosphere Bacterial Community in the Soil-Tomato System

Researchers investigated how coexisting zinc and nickel affect cadmium accumulation in tomato plants and the rhizosphere bacterial community in contaminated agricultural soils, finding that elemental interactions meaningfully alter both Cd uptake by crops and the composition of soil microbial communities.

2023 Processes 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Research on the Mechanisms of Plant Enrichment and Detoxification of Cadmium

This review examines how plants absorb, transport, and accumulate the heavy metal cadmium from contaminated soil, as well as the detoxification mechanisms plants use to cope with cadmium stress. While focused on cadmium rather than microplastics, the research is relevant because microplastics in soil can alter cadmium mobility and uptake by crops, potentially affecting food safety.

2021 Biology 93 citations
Article Tier 2

Insights on Immobilization of Cd Contamination in Soil: Synergic Impacts of Water Management and Bauxite Residue

Researchers tested whether combining flooding with bauxite residue or lime could reduce the availability of toxic cadmium in contaminated soil. Both combined treatments raised soil pH and increased the proportion of cadmium locked into stable, residual forms while decreasing the easily exchangeable fraction. The bauxite residue treatment proved slightly more effective at immobilizing cadmium, offering a potential soil remediation strategy for heavy metal-contaminated agricultural land.

2024 ACS Omega 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Coexistence of microplastics and heavy metals in soil: Occurrence, transport, key interactions and effect on plants

This review examines how microplastics and heavy metals like lead, cadmium, and arsenic interact in soil, often creating combined toxic effects on plants that differ from either pollutant alone. These interactions are relevant to human health because contaminated crops can transfer both microplastics and heavy metals to people through the food supply.

2024 Environmental Research 57 citations
Article Tier 2

Interaction of Lead and Cadmium Reduced Cadmium Toxicity in Ficus parvifolia Seedlings

Researchers found that lead-cadmium co-exposure in Ficus parvifolia seedlings unexpectedly reduced cadmium toxicity, with lead improving photosynthesis and mitigating the physiological damage typically caused by cadmium alone.

2023 Toxics 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Co-Contamination of Microplastics and Cd on Plant Growth and Cd Accumulation

Researchers investigated how two types of microplastics, high-density polyethylene and polystyrene, at various concentrations affect cadmium uptake and toxicity in maize plants grown in agricultural soil. The study found that while polyethylene alone had no significant effect, polystyrene at higher doses altered cadmium accumulation patterns, suggesting that different plastic types may interact differently with heavy metals in soil.

2020 Toxics 239 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined Phytotoxicity of Microplastics andLead on the Growth and Physio-BiochemicalCharacteristics of Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum)

Researchers grew tobacco plants in soil contaminated with both polyethylene microplastics and lead, finding that the combination caused greater damage to photosynthesis and plant growth than either pollutant alone, while microplastics partially reduced how much lead roots absorbed. The study shows that microplastic and heavy metal co-contamination — increasingly common in agricultural soils — poses compounding risks to crop health.

2025 Polish Journal of Environmental Studies
Article Tier 2

Different doses of cadmium in soil negatively impact growth, plant mineral homeostasis and antioxidant defense of mung bean plants

Researchers studied how different cadmium concentrations in soil affect the growth, mineral nutrition, and biochemical health of mung bean plants. The study found that increasing cadmium doses significantly disrupted plant mineral homeostasis, reduced chlorophyll and protein content, and impaired antioxidant defense systems in a dose-dependent manner.

2023 TURKISH JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY 8 citations
Article Tier 2

The Importance of Humic Acids in Shaping the Resistance of Soil Microorganisms and the Tolerance of Zea mays to Excess Cadmium in Soil

Researchers assessed whether a humic acid soil amendment (Humus Active) could protect maize from cadmium toxicity by modifying the soil bacterial community structure under heavy metal stress. Humic acid treatment improved soil bacterial diversity and reduced cadmium uptake by maize, suggesting that humic preparations can partially restore soil microbiome function and crop health in cadmium-contaminated agricultural land.

2025 International Journal of Molecular Sciences
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics and cadmium co-contamination on soil properties, maize (Zea mays L.) growth characteristics, and cadmium accumulation in maize in loessial soil-maize systems

Researchers studied the combined effects of polyethylene microplastics and cadmium on soil properties and maize growth through pot experiments. They found that microplastics altered soil nutrient availability and, depending on size and concentration, either increased or decreased cadmium uptake by the plants. The study suggests that microplastic contamination in agricultural soils can change how crops absorb toxic heavy metals, with potential implications for food safety.

2024 Environmental Pollution 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi enhance maize cadmium resistance and reduce translocation: Dependence on microplastics concentration

Researchers investigated how beneficial soil fungi called arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi can help maize plants resist cadmium toxicity in soils contaminated with both microplastics and heavy metals. They found that high concentrations of polyethylene microplastics worsened cadmium toxicity, but inoculation with mycorrhizal fungi significantly improved plant growth, nutrient uptake, and photosynthesis. The study suggests that these fungi could serve as a biological tool for managing crop health in soils with combined microplastic and heavy metal contamination.

2026
Clinical Trial Tier 1

Revealing the Combined Effects of Microplastics, Zn, and Cd on Soil Properties and Metal Accumulation by Leafy Vegetables: A Preliminary Investigation by a Laboratory Experiment

This laboratory study examines how microplastics combined with heavy metals like zinc and cadmium affect soil health and leafy vegetable growth. The findings suggest that microplastics can alter how metals accumulate in lettuce and other greens, potentially increasing the levels of toxic substances in the vegetables people eat.

2023 Soil Systems 32 citations
Article Tier 2

ZnO nanoparticle-based seed priming modulates early growth and enhances physio-biochemical and metabolic profiles of fragrant rice against cadmium toxicity

Researchers studied how zinc oxide nanoparticles applied to rice seeds could help the plants resist cadmium toxicity in contaminated soils. The study found that this seed treatment substantially improved early growth and strengthened the plants' biochemical defenses. These findings suggest a potential strategy for growing crops more safely in soils contaminated with heavy metals.

2021 Journal of Nanobiotechnology 174 citations
Article Tier 2

Phytotoxic effects of polyethylene microplastics combined with cadmium on the photosynthetic performance of maize (Zea mays L.)

Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastics combined with cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, affect photosynthesis in two varieties of maize. They found that microplastics generally worsened cadmium's negative effects on the plants' ability to capture light energy and convert it to growth, though responses differed between maize varieties. The study suggests that microplastic pollution in agricultural soils could amplify the harm caused by heavy metal contamination to crop productivity.

2023 Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Mechanism of microplastics in the reduction of cadmium toxicity in tomato

In a surprising finding, researchers discovered that microplastics in soil actually reduced the toxicity of cadmium (a dangerous heavy metal) to tomato plants. The microplastics lowered the plants' uptake of harmful heavy metals while helping restore absorption of essential nutrients like calcium and magnesium. While this does not make microplastics beneficial, it reveals complex interactions between different soil pollutants that affect food crops.

2025 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 15 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Behaviour, ecological impacts of microplastics and cadmium on soil systems: A systematic review

This systematic review examines how microplastics and cadmium interact in soil, finding that they can make each other more harmful. Microplastics can carry toxic cadmium further through soil and increase its uptake by plants, which could mean more heavy metal contamination in the food we eat.

2024 Environmental Technology & Innovation 25 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Microplastics may increase the environmental risks of Cd via promoting Cd uptake by plants: A meta-analysis

This meta-analysis found that microplastics in soil can increase how much cadmium (a toxic heavy metal) plants absorb. This is concerning because it means microplastic pollution could make our food crops more contaminated with heavy metals, adding another health risk on top of the plastics themselves.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 164 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Unveiling the impacts of microplastics on cadmium transfer in the soil-plant-human system: A review

A meta-analysis found that microplastics significantly increase soil cadmium bioavailability by 6.9% and cadmium accumulation in plant shoots by 9.3%, through both direct surface adsorption and indirect modification of soil pH and dissolved organic carbon. This enhanced cadmium mobility through the soil-plant-human food chain amplifies health risks, as co-ingestion of microplastics and cadmium increases cadmium bioaccessibility and tissue damage.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 46 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined effects of microplastics and cadmium on the soil-plant system: Phytotoxicity, Cd accumulation and microbial activity

Researchers tested how different microplastic types combined with cadmium affect plant growth and soil health. Aged and biodegradable microplastics increased cadmium uptake in mustard greens more than fresh conventional plastics did. The study also found that microplastics altered soil microbial activity, suggesting that plastic pollution in farmland could change how plants absorb toxic metals from contaminated soil.

2023 Environmental Pollution 51 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessing stress responses in potherb mustard (Brassica juncea var. multiceps) exposed to a synergy of microplastics and cadmium: Insights from physiology, oxidative damage, and metabolomics

Researchers found that microplastics in soil increased the amount of cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, that mustard green plants absorbed, while also reducing crop yields and photosynthesis. Higher concentrations of microplastics made more cadmium available in the soil, leading to greater accumulation of the metal in the plants. This raises food safety concerns because vegetables grown in microplastic-contaminated soil could contain higher levels of toxic metals that are harmful to human health.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 59 citations