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20 resultsShowing papers similar to Particle size-dependent biomolecular footprints of interactive microplastics in maize
ClearEffects of polyethylene microplastics with different particle sizes on photosynthesis，biomass and root characteristics of maize seedlings
Researchers tested two sizes of polyethylene microplastics (13 μm and 150 μm) on maize seedlings in soil pot experiments and found size-dependent effects on photosynthesis, biomass, and root characteristics, with smaller particles generally causing greater physiological disruption.
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.
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.
Impact of microplastic particle size on physiological and biochemical properties and rhizosphere metabolism of Zea mays L.: Comparison in different soil types
Researchers found that smaller microplastics caused more harm to corn plant growth than larger ones, and that soil type affected how toxic the microplastics were. The microplastics disrupted root metabolism and weakened the plants' ability to produce lignin, a structural compound important for healthy roots. This matters for food safety because microplastic contamination in farm soil could reduce crop yields and potentially affect the nutritional quality of food.
Smallest microplastics intensify maize yield decline, soil processes and consequent global warming potential
Researchers conducted a field experiment adding different sizes of polyethylene and polystyrene microplastics to maize-growing soil and found that the smallest particles caused the most damage. The 75-micrometer polyethylene microplastics roughly doubled greenhouse gas emissions from the soil and caused the greatest decline in maize crop yields, with scanning electron microscopy showing plastic particles taken up by plant roots and transported to stems and leaves. The findings raise serious concerns about how microplastic pollution in agricultural soils could simultaneously reduce food production and increase greenhouse gas emissions.
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.
Transcriptomic and metabolomic responses of maize under conventional and biodegradable microplastic stress
Researchers studied how both conventional and biodegradable microplastics affect maize at the molecular level, finding that both types altered plant metabolism and triggered stress responses. The microplastics changed how the plants handled energy, photosynthesis, and hormone signaling, with effects varying by plastic type. This is concerning for food safety because microplastic-contaminated soil could change the nutritional quality or safety of crops that people eat.
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.
Metabolomics reveals the size effect of microplastics impeding membrane synthesis in rice cells
Researchers studied how polystyrene particles of different sizes (30 nm, 200 nm, and 2 micrometers) affect rice cells, finding that larger particles caused significantly more damage. Exposure to 2-micrometer particles reduced cell viability by 66.4% and protein content by nearly half, while disrupting fatty acid biosynthesis critical for cell membrane formation. The findings suggest that microplastic particle size plays a key role in determining toxicity at the cellular level in plants.
Microplastics as emerging stressors in plants: biochemical and metabolic responses
This review examines how microplastics act as environmental stressors in plants, disrupting biochemical and metabolic processes including photosynthesis, antioxidant defenses, and nutrient uptake, with effects varying by polymer type, particle size, and concentration.
The dosage- and size-dependent effects of micro- and nanoplastics in lettuce roots and leaves at the growth, photosynthetic, and metabolomics levels
Researchers studied the effects of polyethylene micro- and nanoplastics on lettuce plants, varying both particle size and concentration. They found that particle size played a pivotal role in influencing plant growth, photosynthetic activity, and metabolic processes, with nanoplastics generally causing more pronounced effects than larger microplastics. The study suggests that the smallest plastic particles pose the greatest risk to crop health by disrupting plant physiology at multiple levels.
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.
Impacts of Micro/Nanoplastics on Crop Physiology and Soil Ecosystems: A Review
This review synthesized evidence on how micro- and nanoplastics affect crop physiology and soil ecosystems, covering how plastic particles enter plants via roots, disrupt soil microbiota, and impair crop growth through oxidative stress, nutrient cycling disruption, and physical root interference. The authors found that nanoplastics pose greater plant risks than microplastics due to their ability to cross cell membranes.
Cellular effects of microplastics are influenced by their dimension: Mechanistic relationships and integrated criteria for particles definition.
Researchers exposed mussels to five different size classes of polyethylene microplastics and found that the smallest particles (20-50 micrometers) caused the most biological damage, including immune system changes and increased oxidative stress. The study provides experimental evidence that microplastic size matters significantly when assessing health risks. This is important for human health assessments because it suggests that the smallest microplastic particles, which are also the hardest to filter out of food and water, may be the most harmful.
Revealing the bioavailability and phytotoxicity of different particle size microplastics on diethyl phthalate (DEP) in rye (Secale cereale L.)
Researchers studied how microplastics of different sizes interact with a common plasticizer chemical (DEP) in rye plants. Smaller nanoplastics were able to enter and move through the plant, disrupting leaf cells, while the plasticizer chemical increased the plant's uptake of nanoplastics. This suggests that microplastics and the chemicals they carry can work together to contaminate food crops, with smaller particles posing the greatest risk.
[Effects of Microplastics on the Growth, Physiology, and Biochemical Characteristics of Wheat (Triticum aestivum)].
Wheat seedlings were grown in soils spiked with 100 nm and 5 μm polystyrene microplastics, with high concentrations (200 mg/L) significantly inhibiting root and stem elongation, reducing chlorophyll, and altering antioxidant enzyme activity, with smaller nanoplastics showing greater toxicity. The findings demonstrate that microplastic size influences phytotoxicity in a major agricultural crop.
Size over substance: Microplastic particle size drives gene expression and fitness loss in a freshwater insect
Researchers exposed freshwater midge larvae to polyamide and polyvinyl chloride microplastics of different sizes and found that particle size mattered more than plastic type in determining harm. Smaller microplastics triggered stronger stress responses at the gene level, including oxidative stress and immune activation, and caused greater reductions in reproduction and survival. The findings suggest that size should be a primary consideration when assessing microplastic risks to aquatic life.
Membrane Lipid Remodeling Modulated Maize Response to Environmentally Relevant Atmospheric Nanoplastics
Researchers exposed maize leaves to polystyrene nanoplastics with different surface modifications at environmentally relevant doses and found that amino-modified particles caused the strongest growth inhibition. All nanoplastics entered the leaves through stomata and accumulated in a dose-dependent manner, significantly suppressing the production of 31 membrane lipids involved in cell structure and signaling. The study reveals that atmospheric nanoplastics can disrupt membrane lipid metabolism in crops, providing molecular-level evidence of how airborne plastic particles may affect agricultural plants.
Data Sheet 1_Environmental levels of microplastics disrupt growth and stress pathways in edible crops via species-specific mechanisms.pdf
This study examined how environmental concentrations of microplastics affect the growth and stress responses of different crop plant species under soil conditions, finding species-specific sensitivities and concentration-dependent effects that varied with MP polymer type.
Accumulation and Toxicity of Nanoplastics in Photosynthetic‐Species
This review examines how nanoplastics, plastic particles smaller than one micrometer, affect plants ranging from algae to crop species. Researchers found that nanoplastics can cross plant cell barriers and interfere with photosynthesis, growth, and gene expression. The study highlights that the small size of nanoplastics makes them particularly concerning because they can penetrate deeper into plant tissues than larger microplastics.