Uptake and Accumulation of Nano/Microplastics in Plants: A Critical Review

• Published in: Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 11; no. 11; p. 2935
• Main Authors: Azeem, Imran, Adeel, Muhammad, Ahmad, Muhammad Arslan, Shakoor, Noman, Jiangcuo, Gama Dingba, Azeem, Kamran, Ishfaq, Muhammad, Shakoor, Awais, Ayaz, Muhammad, Xu, Ming, Rui, Yukui
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 02.11.2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Agricultural practices; Agricultural production; Agriculture; bioavailability; Bisphenol A; Cell walls; Climate change; Environmental economics; Fertilizers; Flowers & plants; Landfill; microbes; Microplastics; nanoplastics; Packaging; Physiological effects; Physiology; Plant growth; Plastic pollution; Pollutants; Polyesters; Rainfall; Review; rhizosphere; Soils; Translocation; Transpiration; Water treatment; China; nanoplastics; translocation; microbes; bioavailability; rhizosphere
• ISSN: 2079-4991; 2079-4991
• DOI: 10.3390/nano11112935

The ubiquitous presence of microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) in the environment is an undeniable and serious concern due to their higher persistence and extensive use in agricultural production. This review highlights the sources and fate of MPs and NPs in soil and their uptake, translocation, and physiological effects in the plant system. We provide the current snapshot of the latest reported studies with the majority of literature spanning the last five years. We draw attention to the potential risk of MPs and NPs in modern agriculture and their effects on plant growth and development. We also highlight their uptake and transport pathways in roots and leaves via different exposure methods in plants. Conclusively, agricultural practices, climate changes (wet weather and heavy rainfall), and soil organisms play a major role in transporting MPs and NPs in soil. NPs are more prone to enter plant cell walls as compared to MPs. Furthermore, transpiration pull is the dominant factor in the plant uptake and translocation of plastic particles. MPs have negligible negative effects on plant physiological and biochemical indicators. Overall, there is a dire need to establish long-term studies for a better understanding of their fate and associated risks mechanisms in realistic environment scenarios for safe agricultural functions.