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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Maricopa, Arizona » U.S. Arid Land Agricultural Research Center » Water Management and Conservation Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #383016
Research Project: The Use of Treated Municipal Waste Water as a Source of New Water for Irrigation

Location: Water Management and Conservation Research

Title: Microplastics interaction with terrestrial plants and their impacts on agriculture

Author
item ULLAH, RAZA - University Of North Carolina Greensboro
item TSUI, MARTIN - University Of North Carolina Greensboro
item CHEN, HUAN - Clemson University
item CHOW, ALEX - Clemson University
item Williams, Clinton
item LIGABA-OSENA, AYALEW - University Of North Carolina Greensboro

Submitted to: Journal of Environmental Quality
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/30/2021
Publication Date: 8/25/2021
Citation: Ullah, R., Tsui, M., Chen, H., Chow, A., Williams, C.F., Ligaba-Osena, A. 2021. Microplastics interaction with terrestrial plants and their impacts on agriculture. Journal of Environmental Quality. 50(5):1024-1041. https://doi.org/10.1002/jeq2.20264.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jeq2.20264

Interpretive Summary: Microplastics (MPs) are widespread in natural ecosystems and have attracted considerable attention from scientists all over the world because they are believed to threaten every life form. In addition to their potential physical and chemical effects on organisms, MPs may act as a carrier for transferring many micropollutants including antibiotics, heavy metals and others. Over the last 10-15 years, extensive research has been carried out on MPs in marine environment, its sources, fate and toxicity. However, studies concerning their accumulation in soil ecosystem, uptake, internalization and impacts on photosynthetic components of the ecosystem, and risk assessment have been scanty. Thus, there is a large knowledge gap on the extent to which terrestrial environments, especially, agroecosystems are affected by MPs, and its risks to human health. This review summarizes up-to-dated articles about MPs on terrestrial environments and would provide some guidelines for future studies regarding the phytotoxic effects of MPs on plants, mechanism of uptake and translocation in plant tissues, detection tools for MPs in plants, impacts on plant growth, development and agricultural productivity, and most importantly the future prospects of microplastics accumulation in plants.

Technical Abstract: Microplastics (MPs) are widespread in natural ecosystems and have attracted considerable attention from scientists all over the world because they are believed to threaten every life form. In addition to their potential physical and chemical effects on organisms, MPs may act as a carrier for transferring many micropollutants including antibiotics, heavy metals and others. Over the last 10-15 years, extensive research has been carried out on MPs in marine environment, its sources, fate and toxicity. However, studies concerning their accumulation in soil ecosystem, uptake, internalization and impacts on photosynthetic components of the ecosystem, and risk assessment have been scanty. Thus, there is a large knowledge gap on the extent to which terrestrial environments, especially, agroecosystems are affected by MPs, and its risks to human health. This review summarizes up-to-dated articles about MPs on terrestrial environments and would provide some guidelines for future studies regarding the phytotoxic effects of MPs on plants, mechanism of uptake and translocation in plant tissues, detection tools for MPs in plants, impacts on plant growth, development and agricultural productivity, and most importantly the future prospects of microplastics accumulation in plants.