Most microplastics are released into the terrestrial environment and accumulate in large quantities in the soil. Except
Despite the prevalence of microplastics in the environment, the question of its absorption by agricultural plants was not given much attention.
For decades, scientists have believed thatthe plastic particles were just too large to pass through the physical barriers of intact plant tissue. But this new study refutes this assumption.
Left: 0.2 µm polystyrene granules in lettuce root (ab) and leaf (c); right: 2.0 μm polystyrene beads in the root of wheat seedlings (ad), stem (ef) and leaf (gh)
Cracks on the lateral roots of lettuce and wheat crops can absorb microplastics from surrounding soil and water. It can be transferred from the roots to the edible parts of the culture, scientists said.
Scientists already knew that particles up to 50nanometers can penetrate the roots of plants. But a group of Professor Luo showed from the Chinese Academy of Sciences that particles about 40 times this size can also get into plants.
The microplastic particles identified in thisthe study were spherical, up to 2 micrometers in size with a small degree of mechanical flexibility. These features allowed them to squeeze into the small apoplastic space of the plant root cells.
Scientists have suggested that particles larger than those they studied can also be absorbed by plants.
These data shed new light on the possibility ofmicroplastic transmission along the food chain. If particles enter our crops, they also enter our meat and dairy products. It also raises the question of how microplastics affect people's health, and there is no clear answer to this question yet.
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