Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

The Effects of Microplastic and Copper Treatments on the Number of Leaves, Stem, and Root Diameters in Tomato and Kale

This study examined the effects of microplastic and copper co-exposure on plant growth parameters — leaf number, stem diameter, and root morphology — in agricultural plant species. Both microplastics and copper alone reduced growth, and combined exposure caused greater inhibition, indicating synergistic phytotoxic effects in polluted agricultural soils.

2025 Commagene Journal of Biology
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

Microplastics contamination on spinach (Spinacia oleracea): influence of plastic polymers, growing media, and copper co-exposure

A pot experiment tested how different microplastic polymers (LDPE, PBAT, starch-based) and copper co-contamination affected spinach grown in two soil types, finding that microplastic effects on plant growth and copper uptake varied significantly by polymer type and soil characteristics.

2025 Next research.
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

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

Microplastic-Mediated Heavy Metal Uptake in Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.): Implications for Food Safety and Agricultural Sustainability

Researchers grew lettuce in contaminated soil mixed with different types of microplastics, including fibers, glitter, and fragments from bags and bottles. They found that microplastics altered how heavy metals like lead, cadmium, and copper moved through the soil and into the plants, sometimes increasing uptake of toxic metals in roots while decreasing others in leaves. The results raise concerns about food safety in agricultural areas where both microplastic and heavy metal contamination overlap.

2025 Molecules 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Coupled Effects of Polyethylene Microplastics and Cadmium on Soil–Plant Systems: Impact on Soil Properties and Cadmium Uptake in Lettuce

Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastics interact with cadmium contamination in soil and its effects on lettuce growth. The study found that microplastics combined with cadmium significantly decreased soil quality and that microplastics can alter cadmium uptake in plants, suggesting that co-contamination of agricultural soils with both pollutants may pose compounded risks to food crop safety.

2025 Toxics 1 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

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

Impact of microplastics on bioaccumulation of heavy metals in rape (Brassica napus L.)

Researchers found that microplastics influenced the bioaccumulation of copper and lead in rapeseed plants, with effects varying by microplastic concentration and heavy metal type, revealing how plastic pollution may alter contaminant uptake in crops.

2021 Chemosphere 165 citations
Article Tier 2

Translocation and chronic effects of microplastics on pea plants (Pisum sativum) in copper-contaminated soil

Researchers studied how polystyrene nanoplastics affect pea plants grown in copper-contaminated soil over a full growing season. They found that the combination of nanoplastics and copper reduced crop yield, impaired nutritional quality, and that nanoplastic particles were taken up and transported throughout the plant tissues. The study suggests that microplastic contamination in polluted agricultural soils may compound existing threats to crop productivity and food safety.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 98 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

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

Growth and Spectral Response of Lactuca sativa L. to Soil Contamination with Microplastic

Researchers studied how soil microplastic contamination affects the biomass accumulation and spectral reflectance responses of lettuce (Lactuca sativa) under heavy metal (zinc) stress. Microplastics altered how lettuce responded to zinc toxicity, modifying both growth rates and spectral signatures used for remote sensing of plant health.

2025 IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science
Article Tier 2

Combined impact of short-term phosphorus deficiency and microplastic contamination on tomato mineral elements, chlorophyll fluorescence and root exudates

Researchers studied how phosphorus deficiency and microplastic contamination together affect tomato plants grown in hydroponic conditions. They found that while each stressor alone had measurable effects, the combination altered root exudate composition and mineral uptake in distinct ways. The study highlights that microplastics may interact with existing nutritional stresses to create compounding challenges for plant health.

2025 Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Phytotoxic effects of polyethylene microplastics combined with cadmium on the photosynthetic performance of maize (Zea mays L.)

Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastics combined with cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, affect photosynthesis in two varieties of maize. They found that microplastics generally worsened cadmium's negative effects on the plants' ability to capture light energy and convert it to growth, though responses differed between maize varieties. The study suggests that microplastic pollution in agricultural soils could amplify the harm caused by heavy metal contamination to crop productivity.

2023 Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics and cadmium co-contamination on soil properties, maize (Zea mays L.) growth characteristics, and cadmium accumulation in maize in loessial soil-maize systems

Researchers studied the combined effects of polyethylene microplastics and cadmium on soil properties and maize growth through pot experiments. They found that microplastics altered soil nutrient availability and, depending on size and concentration, either increased or decreased cadmium uptake by the plants. The study suggests that microplastic contamination in agricultural soils can change how crops absorb toxic heavy metals, with potential implications for food safety.

2024 Environmental Pollution 27 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

Combined Effects of Polyethylene and Bordeaux Mixture on the Soil–Plant System: Phytotoxicity, Copper Accumulation and Changes in Microbial Abundance

Researchers studied the combined effects of polyethylene microplastics and Bordeaux mixture (a copper-based fungicide) on lettuce growth and soil microbes over 28 days. They found that copper treatments affected root and shoot growth, while microplastics alone showed limited effects and may have reduced copper bioavailability. The study suggests that the interaction between agricultural plastics and agrochemical residues creates complex, sometimes offsetting effects on soil-plant systems.

2025 Agriculture 1 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

Micro plastic driving changes in the soil microbes and lettuce growth under the influence of heavy metals contaminated soil

Researchers studied how microplastics interact with heavy metals in contaminated soil and their combined effects on lettuce growth and soil bacteria. Different types of microplastics altered soil chemistry and changed which microbes thrived, sometimes making heavy metals more available to plants. The study suggests that microplastic-contaminated agricultural soil could affect both the safety and nutritional quality of leafy vegetables that people eat.

2024 Frontiers in Plant Science 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Polypropylene Microplastics and Copper Contamination on Rice Seedling Growth

Researchers studied how polypropylene microplastics and copper contamination individually and jointly affect rice seedling growth in hydroponic conditions. The study found that microplastics alone slightly promoted growth, while copper inhibited it, and the combination reduced copper accumulation in seedlings compared to copper alone, suggesting complex interactions between these pollutants in agricultural settings.

2026 Nanomaterials
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

Interactive effects of polystyrene microplastics and Pb on growth and phytochemicals in mung bean (Vigna radiata L.)

Researchers studied the combined effects of polystyrene microplastics and lead on mung bean plants. They found that when both pollutants were present together, the damage was more severe, reducing plant weight, impairing photosynthesis, and disrupting chlorophyll production and enzyme activity. The study suggests that microplastics and heavy metals can interact to create amplified harmful effects on crop plants in contaminated agricultural environments.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 56 citations