Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

An Impact Of Microplastic And Microplastic + Lead Induced Toxicity On Growth Parameters And Chlorophyll Content Of Tomato Plant: (Comparison Study)

Researchers grew tomato plants in soil spiked with polyethylene microplastics alone and combined with lead nitrate at multiple concentrations to compare their toxicity. Both treatments reduced shoot length, fresh and dry weight, and chlorophyll content in a dose-dependent manner, with the combined microplastic-plus-lead treatment causing more severe harm than either pollutant alone.

2025 African Journal of Biomedical Research
Article Tier 2

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.

2025 Microplastics 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Diversity and interactions of rhizobacteria determine multinutrient traits in tomato host plants under nitrogen and water disturbances

Researchers investigated how root-associated bacteria help tomato plants maintain nutrient uptake under nitrogen and water stress conditions. They found that microbial diversity and species interactions were key factors in supporting the plant's ability to acquire multiple nutrients simultaneously. While not directly about microplastics, the study advances understanding of soil microbiome dynamics that are relevant to agricultural systems increasingly affected by plastic contamination.

2024 Horticulture Research 5 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 58 citations
Article Tier 2

The Effects of Microplastics and Heavy Metals Individually and in Combination on the Growth of Water Spinach (Ipomoea aquatic) and Rhizosphere Microorganisms

Researchers tested how combinations of microplastics and heavy metals (cadmium and lead) affect the growth of water spinach and the microbial communities in its root zone. They found that all three stressors individually inhibited plant growth, and combining microplastics with heavy metals intensified the toxic effects while reducing the availability of essential soil nutrients. The study suggests that microplastic-heavy metal interactions in agricultural soils may pose compounding risks to both crop health and soil ecosystem function.

2025 Agronomy 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Uncovering the intricate relationship between plant nutrients and microplastics in agroecosystems

A study of wheat grown in soils with varying microplastic levels found complex interactions between MPs and plant macronutrients and micronutrients, with MPs altering nutrient uptake in ways that could affect crop productivity in contaminated agricultural soils.

2023 Chemosphere 15 citations
Clinical Trial Tier 1

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.

2024 ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS RESEARCH 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Interactive impacts of heat stress and microplastics contamination on the growth and biochemical response of wheat (Triticum aestivum) and maize (Zea mays) plants

Researchers investigated how heat stress combined with polyethylene microplastic contamination in soil affects wheat and maize growth. They found that the combination significantly reduced plant height, root length, leaf area, and chlorophyll content more than either stressor alone. The findings highlight that microplastic pollution in agricultural soils could worsen the damage already caused by rising temperatures to food crops.

2025 Ecotoxicology 2 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

Effects of microplastic and copper applications on chlorophyll and carotenoid contents in kale and tomato

Researchers investigated the individual and combined effects of microplastics and copper on kale and tomato plants, measuring impacts on chlorophyll and carotenoid pigment content to assess how co-contamination of agricultural soils affects crop physiology.

2025 Journal of Agricultural Faculty of Gaziosmanpasa University
Article Tier 2

Effects of combined microplastics and heavy metals pollution on terrestrial plants and rhizosphere environment: A review

This review summarizes how microplastics and heavy metals interact in soil to affect plant growth and the surrounding ecosystem. When present together, these pollutants cause significantly more harm than either alone, reducing plant weight by up to 87.5% and altering how heavy metals accumulate in crops -- raising concerns about food safety and human exposure through contaminated agricultural products.

2024 Chemosphere 26 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Effects of microplastics pollution on plant and soil phosphorus: A meta-analysis

Across 781 observations from 73 studies, microplastics significantly reduced plant phosphorus uptake and soil available phosphorus while increasing soil phosphorus leaching. Biodegradable microplastics caused stronger negative effects on soil phosphorus than conventional plastics, and impacts worsened with higher concentrations and longer exposure times.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 97 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of soil microplastic contamination and cadmium toxicity on the growth, physiology, and root growth traits of Triticum aestivum L.

Researchers grew wheat plants in soil contaminated with polyethylene microplastics, the toxic heavy metal cadmium, or both, finding that combined exposure caused the worst damage — shrinking root area, reducing gas exchange in leaves, and lowering key growth indicators. These findings raise concerns about crop yields in farmland where plastic pollution and heavy metal contamination overlap, which is increasingly common.

2023 South African Journal of Botany 65 citations
Article Tier 2

A Combined Effect of Mixed Multi-Microplastic Types on Growth and Yield of Tomato

A greenhouse experiment found that a 1% w/w mixture of polyethylene, polystyrene, and polypropylene microplastics negatively affected tomato plant development and yield, with statistical analysis confirming significant growth reductions compared to uncontaminated soil.

2024 Preprints.org
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics and salt single or combined stresses on growth and physiological responses of maize seedlings

Researchers studied how microplastics and salt stress, individually and combined, affect the growth of maize seedlings. They found that combined exposure caused more severe damage than either stressor alone, reducing plant biomass, disrupting photosynthesis, and increasing oxidative damage. The findings are relevant to agricultural regions where plastic mulch films break down into microplastics in salt-affected soils, creating compounding stress on crops.

2025 Physiologia Plantarum 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Can Rhizosphere Effects Mitigate the Threat from Nanoplastics and Plastic Additives to Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.)?

Researchers investigated whether the rhizosphere, the zone of soil around plant roots, can mitigate the combined threats of nanoplastics and the plastic additive DEHP to tomato plants. The study found that while the rhizosphere provided some protective effects against soil contamination, the coexistence of nanoplastics and DEHP actually increased risks to food safety compared to DEHP alone, indicating that plastic pollution compounds the threat from plastic additives.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of polyethylene microplastics and heavy metals on soil-plant microbial dynamics

This study examined how polyethylene microplastics interact with heavy metals in soil and found that microplastics significantly reduced plant growth while altering soil enzyme activity and microbial communities. The combination of microplastics and heavy metals disrupted nutrient cycling in the soil in ways that were different from either pollutant alone. These findings suggest that microplastic contamination in agricultural soil could affect crop nutrition and food production.

2023 Environmental Pollution 37 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics and cadmium on the soil-wheat system as single and combined contaminants

Researchers found that polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics combined with cadmium reduced wheat chlorophyll concentrations and affected soil-plant systems differently depending on pollution levels, revealing complex interaction effects between co-contaminants.

2023 Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 37 citations
Article Tier 2

Co-exposure to microplastics and soil pollutants significantly exacerbates toxicity to crops: Insights from a global meta and machine-learning analysis

A large-scale analysis of 68 studies found that when microplastics combine with other soil pollutants, the harm to crops is significantly worse than from the other pollutants alone. Microplastics intensified damage to plant growth, increased oxidative stress, and reduced photosynthesis efficiency. Interestingly, microplastics did reduce the amount of other pollutants that accumulated in the crops, but the overall toxic effects on plant health were still greater.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Type-dependent effects of microplastics on tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.): Focus on root exudates and metabolic reprogramming

Researchers grew tomato plants in the presence of three different types of microplastics and found that each type produced distinct effects on plant physiology, root secretions, and metabolic processes. Polystyrene had the strongest negative impact, significantly altering root exudate composition and triggering metabolic reprogramming in the plants. The study demonstrates that the type of plastic matters when assessing how microplastic pollution affects crop growth and soil chemistry.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 118 citations
Article Tier 2

Stress Effect Induced by Microplastics Coupled with Acid Rain, on Garden Cress, During Short and Long Time: Two Exposures in Comparison

Researchers grew garden cress plants in soil contaminated with four types of microplastics and also exposed them to simulated acid rain, finding that combined exposure caused more plant damage than either stress alone. Both short- and long-term exposures were tested, with longer exposure causing more severe effects. The study shows that microplastic contamination interacts with other environmental stressors like acid rain to worsen damage to terrestrial plants.

2021 Annals of Agricultural & Crop Sciences 2 citations
Article Tier 2

The varied effects of different microplastics on stem development and carbon-nitrogen metabolism in tomato

Researchers tested how six different types of microplastics, including both conventional and biodegradable varieties, affect tomato plant growth. All types disrupted the plants' internal structure and altered how they processed carbon and nitrogen, with PVC causing the most severe damage. Notably, biodegradable plastics like PLA and PBS were not harmless either, suggesting that switching to so-called eco-friendly plastics may not fully protect agricultural soil and food crops from microplastic contamination.

2025 Environmental Pollution 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of co-presence of cadmium or procymidone with microplastic films in soil on lettuce growth

Pot experiments growing lettuce in soil contaminated with cadmium or the fungicide procymidone alongside LDPE or PVC microplastic films found that co-presence of microplastics with chemical contaminants produced subtle but measurable effects on plant growth. This matters because agricultural soils frequently contain both microplastics and chemical pollutants simultaneously, and their combined effects on food crops may differ from what single-contaminant studies would predict.

2023 Applied Biological Chemistry 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Potential impacts of two types of microplastics on Solanum lycopersicum L. and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

Researchers investigated the potential impacts of two types of microplastics on tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, examining how plastic pollution may disrupt plant-fungal symbiotic relationships in agricultural soils.

2022 Ceylon Journal of Science 10 citations