Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

The Effect of Microplastics-Plants on the Bioavailability of Copper and Zinc in the Soil of a Sewage Irrigation Area

Researchers examined how different concentrations of microplastics affect the bioavailability of copper and zinc in sewage-irrigated soils, finding that microplastics can alter heavy metal mobility and plant uptake, with implications for food safety in contaminated agricultural areas.

2023 Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 9 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

The synergy of microplastics with the heavy metal zinc has resulted in reducing the toxic effects of zinc on lentil (Lens culinaris) seed germination and seedling growth

Researchers investigated how polyethylene microplastics interact with zinc heavy metal contamination in lentil seed germination experiments. Unexpectedly, they found that the presence of microplastics actually reduced zinc toxicity to the plants, likely because the microplastics bound to zinc ions in solution and limited plant uptake. The study suggests that microplastic-metal interactions in agricultural soils may be more complex than simple additive toxicity.

2023 Heliyon 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Zinc ions enhance tolerance to nanoplastics stress in rice seedlings: Advancing the development and optimization of traditional zinc fertilizers

Researchers tested whether traditional zinc sulfate fertilizer could help rice seedlings tolerate polystyrene microplastic stress, as an alternative to zinc oxide nanoparticles which carry their own environmental risks. They found that appropriate zinc levels reduced oxidative damage through different mechanisms in shoots versus roots, restoring photosynthesis and development. The findings offer a practical, lower-risk strategy for protecting crops from microplastic contamination in agricultural soils.

2025 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics modify plant-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi systems in a Pb-Zn-contaminated soil

Researchers examined how six types of microplastics affect sweet sorghum growth and soil fungal communities in soil contaminated with lead and zinc. They found that microplastics generally did not inhibit plant growth and in some cases promoted it, but they increased the uptake of heavy metals into plant shoots. The study suggests that microplastics may worsen the risks of heavy metal contamination in agricultural soils by enhancing metal accumulation in crops.

2025 Applied Soil Ecology 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Molecular Effects of Biogenic Zinc Nanoparticles on the Growth and Development of Brassica napus L. Revealed by Proteomics and Transcriptomics

This study investigated how biogenic zinc nanoparticles affect the growth and development of rapeseed plants using proteomics and transcriptomics approaches. While not directly focused on microplastics, the research contributes to understanding how nano-scale particles interact with plant biology at the molecular level.

2022 Frontiers in Plant Science 45 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessing the combined impacts of microplastics and nickel oxide nanomaterials on soybean growth and nitrogen fixation potential

This study tested how polystyrene microplastics and nickel oxide nanoparticles affect soybean growth and nitrogen fixation in soil. Microplastics alone reduced photosynthesis, plant hormones, and the beneficial root bacteria that help plants capture nitrogen from the air. While this is a plant and soil study, it demonstrates how microplastics can disrupt agricultural ecosystems that humans depend on for food production.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 21 citations
Article Tier 2

The effects of biosolid microplastics on rhizosphere respiration of root exudates in Glycine max

This study examined how microplastics from agricultural biosolids affect the activity of soil microbes around soybean roots. Researchers found that both polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics increased baseline microbial respiration rates, and high concentrations of polypropylene fragments significantly altered how soil microbes consumed amino acid-based root compounds. The findings suggest that microplastics in agricultural soil can change the way root-zone microbial communities process plant nutrients.

2024 Applied Soil Ecology 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Single and composite damage mechanisms of soil polyethylene/polyvinyl chloride microplastics to the photosynthetic performance of soybean (Glycine max [L.] merr.)

This study found that both polyethylene and PVC microplastic stress caused oxidative damage in soybean plants, impairing the structure and function of photosystem II and ultimately reducing net photosynthesis rates, with implications for crop productivity in microplastic-contaminated agricultural soils.

2023 Frontiers in Plant Science 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Transcriptomic mechanism for foliar applied nano-ZnO alleviating phytotoxicity of nanoplastics in corn (Zea mays L.) plants

Researchers found that applying zinc oxide nanoparticles to corn leaves helped protect the plants from the harmful effects of nanoplastic pollution. The nano-zinc treatment reduced nanoplastic accumulation in leaves and reversed much of the damage to plant growth and photosynthesis caused by the plastic particles. The study suggests that nano-fertilizers could serve as a tool for managing nanoplastic stress in agricultural crops.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Aspersión foliar de nanoestructuras con zinc en plántulas de pepino (Cucumis sativus)

Not relevant to microplastics — this study tests the effects of zinc oxide nanostructures applied as foliar sprays on cucumber seedling growth, comparing different synthesis methods and a commercial zinc sulfate fertilizer.

2024 Ecosistemas y Recursos Agropecuarios 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Employing Phytoremediation Methods to Extract Heavy Metals from Polluted Soils

This paper is not directly about microplastics in the typical environmental exposure sense; it studies phytoremediation — using the Dodonaea plant to absorb heavy metals (zinc, nickel, cadmium) from contaminated soil — with no connection to plastic or microplastic pollution.

2024 Ecological Engineering & Environmental Technology 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Dopamine Hydrochloride Alleviates the Salt-induced Stress in Glycine max (L.) Merr. plant

This paper is not about microplastics. It studied how dopamine hydrochloride can alleviate salt stress in soybean plants by improving antioxidant defenses and molecular responses. The study has no connection to microplastic contamination or human health effects from plastic pollution.

2024 Journal of soil science and plant nutrition 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics affect the nitrogen nutrition status of soybean by altering the nitrogen cycle in the rhizosphere soil

Researchers investigated how three types of microplastics — polystyrene, polyethylene, and polyvinyl chloride — affect soybean growth by altering nitrogen cycling in the root-zone soil. They found that polyethylene and polystyrene promoted nitrogen availability and soybean growth, while polyvinyl chloride disrupted the nitrogen cycle, reduced beneficial soil microorganisms, and inhibited plant growth. The study suggests that different types of microplastics can have opposing effects on crop nutrition through their impact on soil microbial communities.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Mediterranean Agricultural Soils: Effects on Soil Properties, Metal Accumulation in Plants, and Implications for Sustainable Agroecosystems

Scientists found that tiny plastic particles in soil make it easier for toxic metals like lead and zinc to move into plants we might eat. Even small amounts of microplastics changed how metals behave in the soil, with some types of plastic causing up to 20% more metal absorption in plants. This matters because these contaminated plants could end up in our food supply, potentially increasing our exposure to harmful metals.

2026 Sustainability
Article Tier 2

Effects of polyethylene microplastics and cadmium co-contamination on the soybean-soil system: Integrated metabolic and rhizosphere microbial mechanisms

Researchers investigated how polyethylene microplastics and cadmium interact in soybean-soil systems and found that specific microplastic concentrations enhanced cadmium accumulation in roots under moderate contamination. Higher microplastic levels reduced beneficial soil bacteria like Sphingomonas and Bradyrhizobium and suppressed nitrogen-cycling functions. The study demonstrates that microplastics fundamentally alter heavy metal behavior through interconnected plant-metabolite-microbe interactions in agricultural soils.

2026 Environmental Pollution
Article Tier 2

Integrating Chlorophyll a Fluorescence and Enzymatic Profiling to Reveal the Wheat Responses to Nano-ZnO Stress

Not relevant to microplastics — this study examines how different wheat cultivars respond to zinc oxide nanoparticle stress in soil, using chlorophyll fluorescence and enzyme activity to identify tolerant varieties.

2023 Plants 1 citations
Article Tier 2

[Effect of Low-density Polyethylene Microplastics on Soybean-soil-microbial System].

A pot experiment explored how different concentrations of low-density polyethylene microplastics affect soybean plants, the soil they grow in, and the microbial communities in that soil. Higher microplastic concentrations inhibited soybean growth, reduced soil enzyme activity, and altered microbial diversity in ways that could impair soil fertility. As microplastic contamination of agricultural soils continues to grow, these findings suggest real risks to food crop productivity and soil ecosystem health.

2025 PubMed 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of polystyrene microplastics on uptake and toxicity of phenanthrene in soybean

This study examined how polystyrene microplastics of different sizes affect soybean plants' uptake of the pollutant phenanthrene. Researchers found that microplastics reduced soybean roots' ability to absorb phenanthrene, but micron-sized particles caused more oxidative damage to roots than nano-sized ones, which paradoxically reduced pollutant uptake further. The study highlights that combined exposure to microplastics and organic pollutants can harm crop plants, with the specific effects depending on plastic particle size.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 145 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

Response of soybean (Glycine max L.) seedlings to polystyrene nanoplastics: Physiological, biochemical, and molecular perspectives

Researchers examined the effects of polystyrene nanoplastics on soybean seedlings in a hydroponic experiment and confirmed that the nanoparticles were taken up by plant roots. The study found that nanoplastic exposure negatively affected growth, increased mineral content in roots and leaves, caused oxidative stress, and altered gene expression related to stress response and hormone signaling pathways.

2022 Environmental Pollution 60 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics change soil properties, heavy metal availability and bacterial community in a Pb-Zn-contaminated soil

This study found that adding six different types of microplastics to soil contaminated with lead and zinc changed the soil's chemistry, increased the availability of those toxic metals, and shifted the bacterial communities living in the soil. Higher doses of microplastics caused greater disruption, reducing microbial diversity and altering nutrient cycling. The findings suggest that microplastics in contaminated soil could make heavy metals more likely to enter plants and the food chain.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 497 citations
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

Growth responses of Celosia argentea L. in soils polluted with microplastics

Researchers grew Celosia argentea L. in soils contaminated with 5, 10, and 20 grams of ground microplastics collected from university dumpsites, observing stunted growth and chlorosis compared to controls, and detecting significant accumulation of nickel, lead, and cadmium in the harvested leaves.

2023 3 citations