Microplastics interaction with terrestrial plants and its impacts on agriculture.

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 terrestrial 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 their subsequent risks to human health. This review summarizes up-to-date findings 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 MPs interaction and accumulation in plants. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.