Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Microplastic/nanoplastic toxicity in plants: an imminent concern

This review examines the growing body of research on how microplastics and nanoplastics affect terrestrial plants, from root uptake to changes in growth and gene expression. Researchers found that these particles can alter plant physiology and biochemistry at varying degrees depending on particle size and concentration. The study calls for more research on how plastic contamination in soil may ultimately affect food crop quality and human health through the food chain.

2022 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 182 citations
Article Tier 2

The short-term effect of microplastics in lettuce involves size- and dose-dependent coordinate shaping of root metabolome, exudation profile and rhizomicrobiome

Researchers exposed lettuce plants to polyethylene plastic particles of four different sizes and concentrations, finding that the plastics altered root chemistry, changed what the roots released into the soil, and shifted the bacteria living around them. The effects depended strongly on particle size, with smaller particles causing different metabolic changes than larger ones. This study shows that microplastics in farm soil can change the biology of food crops from the roots up, potentially affecting both crop health and nutritional quality.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 10 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2026 Frontiers in Plant Science
Article Tier 2

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.

2025 Soil Systems
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
Review Tier 2

Unveiling the mechanism of micro-and-nano plastic phytotoxicity on terrestrial plants: A comprehensive review of omics approaches.

This comprehensive review examined how micro-and-nano plastics (MNPs) in terrestrial soils damage plant health by inhibiting water and nutrient uptake, reducing seed germination, impairing photosynthesis, and inducing oxidative stress. The review identified key knowledge gaps in understanding MNP phytotoxicity mechanisms and their implications for food security.

2025 Environment international
Article Tier 2

Effects of nanoplastics and compound pollutants containing nanoplastics on plants, microorganisms and rhizosphere systems: A review

This review summarizes how nanoplastics, the tiniest plastic particles, affect plants, soil microorganisms, and the root zone where they interact. Nanoplastics can disrupt photosynthesis, alter gene activity, and reduce microbial diversity, and their harmful effects get worse when they combine with heavy metals or other pollutants. Since plant roots are a key pathway for nanoplastics to enter the food chain, these effects could ultimately impact the safety and nutritional quality of the food we eat.

2025 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence and distribution of micro/nanoplastics in soils and their phytotoxic effects: A review

This review examined how micro- and nanoplastics distribute across different soil types and get taken up by plant roots, finding that smaller, spherical particles are absorbed more easily. Researchers found that these plastic particles accumulate in plants and trigger oxidative stress, which disrupts gene expression and metabolic pathways important for plant growth and biomass production.

2022 Plant Cell & Environment 101 citations
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
Article Tier 2

Are nanoplastics potentially toxic for plants and rhizobiota? Current knowledge and recommendations

This review evaluates whether nanoplastics — the smallest plastic fragments, formed as larger plastics break down — are toxic to plants and the microorganisms living around their roots (rhizobiota). The evidence suggests nanoplastics can directly impair plant growth and indirectly harm soil biology by altering soil chemistry and releasing associated contaminants. Because soil is becoming a major reservoir for plastic pollution, understanding these effects is critical for global food security and soil ecosystem health.

2023 NanoImpact 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro and nanoplastics pollution: Sources, distribution, uptake in plants, toxicological effects, and innovative remediation strategies for environmental sustainability

This review examines how microplastics and nanoplastics enter plants through roots, disrupt growth and photosynthesis, and cause oxidative stress that reduces crop yields. Because these plastic particles can move through plant tissues and into edible parts, they represent a potential pathway for microplastics to enter the human food supply.

2024 Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 62 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

From Root Exudates to Eco-Corona: Mechanisms Shaping Nanoplastic Fate and Plant–Soil Interactions

This research review summarizes how tiny plastic particles in farm soil interact with plant roots and the chemicals plants release into the soil. The study shows that these microscopic plastics can stress plants, change how their roots grow, and affect how plants absorb nutrients - which could impact the safety and quality of our food. Understanding these interactions is important because plastic pollution in agricultural soil is a growing problem that may affect the crops we eat.

2026 International Journal of Molecular Sciences
Article Tier 2

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.

2024 Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Tiny pollutants, big consequences: investigating the influence of nano- and microplastics on soil properties and plant health with mitigation strategies

Researchers reviewed the impact of nanoplastics and microplastics on soil properties and plant health, examining absorption and translocation mechanisms in plants. The study suggests that plastic particles alter soil structure and microbial communities, impair plant growth and nutrient uptake, and proposes mitigation strategies to address these emerging threats to agricultural ecosystems.

2025 Environmental Science Processes & Impacts 1 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2025 Environmental and Experimental Botany 5 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2024 Environmental Pollution 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent Advances on Multilevel Effects of Micro(Nano)Plastics and Coexisting Pollutants on Terrestrial Soil-Plants System

This review systematically summarizes how micro- and nanoplastics, alone and combined with co-existing pollutants, affect soil properties and terrestrial plants at multiple biological levels. Researchers found that microplastics can serve as carriers for heavy metals, organic contaminants, and biological pollutants, with their specific impacts depending on polymer type, size, shape, and concentration. Evidence indicates that plants can take up and transport micro- and nanoplastics, leading to effects on growth, metabolism, and even DNA damage.

2023 Sustainability 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of micro(nano)plastics on higher plants and the rhizosphere environment

This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics affect higher plants and the soil environment around their roots. Researchers found that these particles can be absorbed through roots and transported to other plant tissues, causing oxidative stress and disrupting photosynthesis, metabolism, and gene expression. The study highlights that plastic pollution in soil threatens not only plant health but also the broader rhizosphere ecosystem that supports agriculture.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 183 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