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.

Nanotechnology is playing a significant role in addressing a vast range of environmental challenges by providing innovative and effective solutions. Heavy metal (HM) contamination has gained considerable attention in recent years due their rapidly increasing concentrations in agricultural soil. Due to their unique physiochemical properties, nanoparticles (NPs) can be effectively applied for stress alleviation. In this review, we explore the current status of the literature regarding nano-enabled agriculture retrieved from the Web of Science databases and published from January 2010 to November 2020, with most of our sources spanning the past five years. We briefly discuss uptake and transport mechanisms, application methods (soil, hydroponic and foliar), exposure concentrations, and their impact on plant growth and development. The current literature contained sufficient information about NPs behavior in plants in the presence of pollutants, highlighting the alleviation mechanism to overcome the HM stress. Furthermore, we present a broad overview of recent advances regarding HM stress and the possible mechanism of interaction between NPs and HM in the agricultural system. Additionally, this review article will be supportive for the understanding of phytoremediation and micro-remediation of contaminated soils and also highlights the future research needs for the combined application of NPs in the soil for sustainable agriculture.

The ubiquitous presence of nanoplastics (NPx) and microplastics (MPx) in the environment has been demonstrated, and as such, the exposure scenarios, mechanisms of plant response, and ultimate risk must be determined. Here, we performed a meta-analysis of the most recent literature investigating the effect of MPx/NPx on plant species under laboratory and field conditions so as to evaluate the current state of knowledge. Effects of MPx/NPx exposure in plants vary as a function of plant species, and interestingly, nonsignificant responses are reported in staple crops. We found that NPx (<100 nm) more negatively affected plant development parameters, photosynthetic pigments, and biochemical indicators than did MPx (>100 nm). Surprisingly, NPx exposure exhibited negligible effects on germination rate, although root morphology was negatively affected. Alternatively, MPx negatively affected (14%) germination and generally exhibited nonsignificant effects on root morphology. The effect of MPx/NPx on plant health decreases with increasing exposure time. No specific trends were evident for the production of biochemical enzymes as related to MPx/NPx concentration or size. Furthermore, we provided a framework for additional investigative work to address the knowledge gaps and to enable accurate assessment of the fate and risk of these materials to environmental and human health.

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