Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Recent advances on microplastics/nanoplastics interaction with plant species: A concise review

This review synthesizes research on how microplastics and nanoplastics interact with plants, finding that plastic particles in soil can interfere with root uptake, germination, and crop yields depending on the type and concentration of plastic present. The findings are particularly relevant to human health because food crops grown in microplastic-contaminated agricultural soils may absorb or accumulate plastic particles, creating a direct dietary exposure route.

2023 Malaysian Journal of Chemical Engineering and Technology
Systematic Review Tier 1

Effects of nano- & microplastics on terrestrial plants are ubiquitous and widespread: a systematic review

This systematic review finds that nano- and microplastics have widespread negative effects on plants, including reduced germination, stunted growth, and biochemical stress responses. Since plants form the base of our food supply, these findings suggest that microplastic contamination in agricultural soils could affect crop health and potentially the quality of food we eat.

2023 CNR ExploRA
Article Tier 2

A critical review of microplastics in the soil-plant system: Distribution, uptake, phytotoxicity and prevention

This review brings together data from over 1,000 sampling sites worldwide to map microplastic contamination in soil and its effects on plants. Microplastics can delay seed germination, stunt plant growth, inhibit photosynthesis, and cause genetic damage to crops. The findings raise concerns about food safety because microplastics in agricultural soil could both reduce crop yields and introduce contaminants into the food chain.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 281 citations
Review Tier 2

Formation, behavior, properties and impact of micro- and nanoplastics on agricultural soil ecosystems (A Review)

This review provides a comprehensive look at how micro and nanoplastics affect agricultural soil ecosystems, covering their sources, movement through soil, and impacts on soil organisms and crop growth. The authors found that microplastics can alter soil structure, reduce beneficial microbial activity, and affect plant nutrient uptake. These changes to farmland soils could ultimately threaten food security and introduce microplastics into the human food supply.

2023 NanoImpact 55 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro (nano) plastic pollution: The ecological influence on soil-plant system and human health.

This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics affect soil health, plant growth, and food quality, finding that these particles accumulate in plant root systems and can reduce crop yields and alter nutritional content. Since contaminated soil and water are increasingly delivering microplastics to food crops, these findings are directly relevant to agricultural food safety.

2021 The Science of the total environment
Article Tier 2

Microplastics reduce the wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) net photosynthetic rate through rhizospheric effects

Microplastics were shown to reduce the net photosynthesis and growth of wheat plants, with effects increasing at higher plastic concentrations. This demonstrates that microplastic contamination in agricultural soils poses a direct threat to crop productivity and food security.

2025 Journal of Integrative Agriculture 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Environmental risk substances in soil on seed germination: Chemical species, inhibition performance, and mechanisms

This review summarizes how various soil pollutants including microplastics, heavy metals, and petroleum chemicals inhibit crop seed germination and early growth. Microplastics can physically block water absorption by seeds and release toxic additives that impair root development. The findings are relevant to food security because microplastic contamination of agricultural soil could reduce crop yields and affect the food supply.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Investigating the Impact of Microplastics Type of Polyethylene, Polypropylene, and Polystyrene on Seed Germination and Early Growth of Rice Plants

Researchers investigated how three common types of microplastics, polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene, affect rice seed germination and early seedling growth. They found that microplastic exposure altered root development and shoot growth, with the effects varying by polymer type. The study raises concerns about how microplastic-contaminated agricultural soils could affect staple crop establishment and food production.

2024 Environmental Quality Management 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro/Nanoplastics in Agricultural Soils and Associated Hazard

This review surveys the sources, distribution, and hazards of micro- and nanoplastics in agricultural soils, with particular attention to how MPs interact with soil organisms, alter nutrient availability, and accumulate in crops in ways that threaten both soil health and food safety.

2025
Article Tier 2

[Adverse Effects and Underlying Mechanisms of Soil Microplastics on Crops and Its Preventive Strategies].

This review summarizes the pollution status of microplastics in agricultural soils and their adverse effects on crops, including mechanical damage, oxidative stress, and genotoxicity leading to disrupted plant growth and metabolism. Researchers also examined how hazardous substances released from microplastics and contaminants adsorbed onto their surfaces contribute to soil ecosystem harm. The study identifies source control and biodegradation as the most promising strategies for reducing microplastic risks to crop production.

2025 PubMed 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Particulate plastics-plant interaction in soil and its implications: A review

This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics in soil interact with plants, including uptake through roots, accumulation in plant tissues, and effects on growth, nutrient absorption, and soil microbial communities. The study highlights that these plastic particles can alter soil structure and chemistry in ways that affect crop development, raising concerns about food safety and agricultural productivity.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 93 citations
Article Tier 2

[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.

2019 PubMed 75 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in agroecosystems: A review of effects on soil biota and key soil functions

This review examines how microplastic and nanoplastic contamination in agricultural soils affects soil organisms and ecological functions. Researchers found that plastics enter farmland through multiple pathways including plastic mulch, sewage sludge, and irrigation water, and once present they alter soil properties and exhibit toxic behavior toward soil biota. The study identifies significant knowledge gaps about the long-term impacts of microplastic accumulation on agricultural productivity and food safety.

2022 Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science 79 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and nanoplastics in the soil-plant nexus: Sources, uptake, and toxicity

This review examines how microplastics and nanoplastics accumulate in agricultural soils from plastic products and affect the soil-plant system. Researchers found that nanoplastics can be taken up by plant roots, cause oxidative stress, and negatively affect crop growth. The findings raise concerns about food safety since these particles may carry co-contaminants into the food chain.

2023 Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology 51 citations
Article Tier 2

Impacts of Microplastic Pollution on Soil Ecosystems and Agricultural Productivity

This comprehensive review synthesizes research on how microplastics accumulate in agricultural soils — through mulch films, sewage sludge, compost, irrigation water, and airborne deposition — and what happens once they are there. Evidence reviewed suggests microplastics impair seed germination, reduce plant water uptake, and may contribute to a projected 5–15% decline in crop yields over coming decades. Because farmland feeds the world and is increasingly contaminated with plastic particles, this review underscores an urgent need for limits on agricultural plastic use and better soil monitoring.

2025 International Journal of Scientific Research in Science Engineering and Technology 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Microplastics on Germination and Seedlings Growth of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Researchers tested the effects of different microplastics on wheat seed germination and seedling growth and found that all treatments reduced plant development compared to controls. Polythene-containing microplastic treatments had the most negative impact, with significant reductions in both shoot and root length across wheat varieties.

2026 Journal of Bio-Science
Clinical Trial Tier 1

Effect of High-Density Polyethylene, Polyvinyl Chloride and Low-Density Polyethylene Microplastics on Seeding of Paddy

This study tested how three common types of plastic microparticles affect rice seedling growth, finding that they can interfere with early plant development. The results matter for food safety because rice is a staple crop for billions of people, and microplastic contamination in agricultural soil could affect crop yields and potentially introduce plastic particles into the food supply.

2024 Sarhad Journal of Agriculture 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecological and physiological risks of micro- and nanoplastics in rice agroecosystems: Challenges and engineering-based mitigation approaches

Researchers reviewed how micro- and nanoplastics harm rice — a staple crop feeding billions — by disrupting root growth, reducing photosynthesis, altering soil microbes, and making heavy metals more available to plants. The review proposes that ecological engineering strategies like microbial bioremediation and organic soil amendments could help protect agricultural land from plastic contamination.

2026 Journal of Ecological Engineering
Article Tier 2

Micro and nano-plastics on environmental health: a review on future thrust in agro-ecotoxicology management

This review examines the growing body of evidence on how microplastics and nanoplastics affect plant health, soil microbial communities, and agricultural productivity. The study highlights that plastic accumulation in agricultural soils can alter crop growth and yield while disrupting soil ecosystem dynamics, and calls for greater attention to agro-ecotoxicology management to address these emerging threats to food production.

2025 Environmental Geochemistry and Health 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro/nanoplastics: a potential threat to crops

This review examines micro- and nanoplastic contamination in agricultural soil and water, summarizing sources, adsorption onto microplastics, uptake pathways into crops, effects on plant growth and physiology, and current detection and removal approaches, while highlighting the limited data on nanoplastic transport in plants.

2023 Vegetable Research 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro and nano plastics (MNPs) in agricultural soils: challenges for food security and environmental health

This review examined how micro- and nanoplastics enter agricultural soils through sources like plastic mulch, wastewater irrigation, and sewage sludge, reaching concentrations of up to 10,000 particles per kilogram. The study found that these plastics impair plant nutrient absorption, photosynthesis, and growth, while also carrying toxic pollutants that can transfer through the food chain to humans.

2025 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 2 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Microplastic and Nanoplastic Interactions with Plant Species: Trends, Meta-Analysis, and Perspectives

This meta-analysis examines how microplastics and nanoplastics interact with plants, finding effects on germination, growth, and nutrient absorption. The findings raise concerns for human health because crops grown in microplastic-contaminated soil may take up these particles, creating another pathway for microplastics to enter our diet.

2022 Environmental Science & Technology Letters 110 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on farmland soils and plants: a review

This review synthesized evidence on how microplastics affect farmland soils and crops, examining changes to soil structure, microbial communities, and plant health. The authors document that MPs can enter root systems, alter nutrient uptake, and disrupt soil ecology, with implications for food safety and agricultural productivity.

2025 Plant Soil and Environment
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Contamination in Agricultural Soils: Impacts on soil properties and plant performance

This review synthesized research on microplastic contamination in agricultural soils, examining how MPs affect soil physical properties, chemistry, and plant growth performance. It identified key knowledge gaps around MP accumulation rates, long-term soil effects, and impacts on food crop yields.

2025 University of Southern Queensland research data collection