Associate Prof. Guanlin Li Published article on Applied Soil Ecology with the title of "Impacts of soil microplastics on crops: A review".
Abstract: Microplastics (MPs) are plastic particles with lesser than 5 mm in size, and in recent years their accumulation in the soil has given rise to a critical global environmental issue that poses significant consequences for both organisms and ecosystems. This study reviews the available works of literature on the direct and indirect impacts of MPs on crops, as well as their amalgamated impacts when combined with other pollutants to identify their common toxicities. Specifically, we focus on both the direct ecotoxic aspects and the indirect abiotic and biotic ecological aspects of soil MPs, as well as their effects on crops when combined with other pollutants. This study highlights that (1) MPs in the soil were adsorbed onto the crop seeds and root surface or accumulated in their vascular system, consequently inhibiting the uptake of water and nutrients; (2) MPs caused oxidative damage to the crops and disrupt metabolic activities; (3) chemical additives released from MPs induce cytotoxicity and genotoxicity in crops; (4) MPs altered soil biotic and abiotic environments, thereby impacting the availability of soil water and nutrients to crops; and lastly (5) the combined toxicity of MPs and other common farmland soil pollutants adversely affected crops. In conclusion, this review showcases the consequences of soil MPs on crops and advocates, through recommendations, for more research on their impact on the natural environment and human life.
Acknowledgements: This work was supported by the Opening Foundation of Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria (2021a02), the Carbon Peak and Carbon Neutrality Technology Innovation Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BK20220030), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32271587), the China Scholarship Council for a scholarship (CSC No. 201608260012), the Talent Project from the “Double-Entrepreneurial Plan” in Jiangsu Province, Environmental Monitoring Fund of Jiangsu Province (2021–2114), the National Research Foundation of Korea grant funded by the Korea government (NRF-2019R1C1C1011120), the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education (NRF-2022R1I1A1A01055443) and the Jiangsu University Foundation.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2022.104680
