Although microplastic pollution has been recognized as one of the major environmental challenges of the 21st century, its toxicological impact on crops, especially vegetables, has attracted limited scientific attention until recently. Vegetables represent a key component of the human diet, making any potential contamination of great importance for food safety. In recent years, an increasing number of studies have been conducted to investigate the interactions between microplastics and vegetable crops. This review aims to synthesize the current knowledge on the sources of microplastics in agroecosystems, the mechanisms of uptake and translocation in plants, and the physiological and biochemical responses induced by micro- and nanoplastics. This work aims to improve the scientific basis for assessing the risk of microplastic contamination by identifying gaps in current understanding and suggesting future research directions.

Although microplastic pollution has been recognized as one of the major environmental challenges of the 21st century, its toxicological impact on crops, especially vegetables, has until recently attracted limited scientific attention. Vegetables represent a key component of the human diet, making any potential contamination highly relevant to food safety. In recent years, an increasing number of studies have begun to investigate the interactions between microplastics and vegetable crops. This review aims to collect the current knowledge on the sources of microplastics in agroecosystems, the mechanisms of uptake and translocation in plants, and the physiological and biochemical responses induced by micro- and nanoplastics. This work aims to improve the scientific basis for assessing the risk of microplastic contamination by identifying gaps in current understanding and suggesting future research directions.

Soil and plant covering methods offer sustainable agricultural benefits by improving soil health, water use efficiency, and reducing chemical inputs. A three-year split-plot experiment (2019–2021) evaluated the impact of various covering techniques on early potato production using two varieties (Cleopatra and Riviera). Treatments included control, plastic mulch, agrotextile, low tunnels, and their combinations. The study assessed stem number, number of tubers per plant (including per stem), average tuber mass, tuber mass per plant, and tuber yield. Results demonstrate the significant positive impact of covering methods on early potato yield. The combination of agrotextile and low tunnels resulted in the highest increases, improving key yield components like tuber number and mass per plant. While varietal differences existed, the covering methods’ influence was paramount. These findings offer a basis for optimizing early potato production for higher yields and quality. Future research should investigate the economic viability of these methods and explore organic alternatives to plastic coverings for sustainable agriculture.

Summary: The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of different Trichoderma spp. treatments (T1: Trichoderma harzianum, T2: Trichoderma brevicompactum, and T3: T1 + T2) on two tomato cultivars (‘Narvik’ and ‘Gružanski zlatni’) by the non-destructive monitoring of chlorophyll (Chl) and epidermal flavonol (Flav) indices and nitrogen balance index (NBI) in their leaves. The main objectives were to compare the responses of tomato cultivars considered (grown in a greenhouse) to different Trichoderma strains and a combination of Trichoderma strains. Variations in the Chl, Flav, and NBI values obtained were significantly influenced by nearly all the factors examined (namely the tomato cultivar, experimental week, and treatment), the interaction of which was found significant for all the parameters analyzed. The results obtained indicate that the combinations of strains in the T3 treatment markedly enhanced the Chl content in the ‘Narvik’ cultivar in some experimental weeks. Moreover, reduced NBI values were determined in the Trichoderma-treated ‘Narvik’ plants due to the increased flavonol content, which indicates a shift from primary to secondary metabolism. Further research, including the same cultivars and treatments, is warranted under field conditions to evaluate the physiological responses of the ‘Narvik’ and ‘Gružanski zlatni’ tomato cultivars in a multiple-stressor environment.