Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous and constitute a global hazard to the environment because of their robustness, resilience, and long-term presence in the ecosystem. For now, the majority of research has primarily focused on marine and freshwater ecosystems, with just a small amount of attention towards the terrestrial ecosystems. Although terrestrial ecosystems are recognized as the origins and routes for MPs to reach the sea, there is a paucity of knowledge about these ecological compartments, which is necessary for conducting effective ecological risk assessments. Moreover, because of their high persistence and widespread usage in agriculture, agribusiness, and allied sectors, the presence of MPs in arable soils is undoubtedly an undeniable and severe concern. Consequently, in the recent decade, the potential risk of MPs in food production, as well as their impact on plant growth and development, has received a great deal of interest. Thus, a thorough understanding of the fate and risks MPs, as well as prospective removal procedures for safe and viable agricultural operations in real-world circumstances, are urgently needed. Therefore, the current review is proposed to highlight the potential sources and interactions of MPs with agroecosystems and plants, along with their remediation strategies.

India is one of the leading suppliers of agrochemicals and has the largest pesticide industry in Asia. Among various Indian states, Punjab is the primary user of pesticides. Presence of pesticide residue in water and food products of Punjab is well documented. The present study was designed to envisage the level of pesticide contamination in pond water of eleven villages of Amritsar district of Punjab, India. A rapid and concurrent method for the identification and quantification of pesticides in water samples was developed and validated. The method validation parameters exhibited high sensitivity of the developed method and the proficiency for the identification and quantification of pesticide residues in water samples. The RP-HPLC method described here •is a novel method which is applicable for simple, rapid and precise detection of pesticides.•40.02% of water samples were found contaminated with multi-residue pesticides.•carbofuran was the most abundant pesticide which was present in 18.18% samples.

The presence of heavy metals in an aquatic ecosystem can be directly linked to the incidences of mutagenicity in aquatic organisms. Thus, we appraised the presence of heavy metals in pond water samples and assessed their mutagenic potential. The water samples were collected for a period of two years for eight different seasons. Concentrations of heavy metals were analysed using microwave plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (MP-AES) and compared with the BIS and WHO standards for drinking water. Overall, the highest metal concentrations were detected during the winter season (Cu - 564.55±9.057 μg/L; Ni - 225.45±91.81 μg/L; Zn - 860±48.41 μg/L; Cr - 857.91±57.81 μg/L) followed by summer (As - 18.36±4.23 μg/L; Pb - 130.93±49.73 μg/L; Cd - 8.21±1.81 μg/L) and monsoon season (Co - 631.96±77.09 μg/L; Se - 2315.45±67.18 μg/L). The lowest metal concentrations were observed during the post-monsoon season. HPI index revealed that six sampling sites out of 11 were above the critical index of 100. In mutagenicity assays we observed that samples with a higher concentration of heavy metals exhibited higher mutagenic potential. The maximum mutagenic potential was observed during the winter and summer seasons. This study can be very helpful to policy and decision makers for water resource management and conservation strategy.

Ponds are self-sustaining and self-regulating ecosystems that are a vital part of the hydrological cycle and play a variety of roles in the biosphere. Ponds are diverse, extremely dynamic, and highly productive as they offer various services like harbor biodiversity, tool for combating water scarcity, have roles in pollution mitigation and carbon sequestration. Ponds also offer sustainable solutions to support climate change amelioration and aquatic resource management. However, ponds are the most neglected aquatic ecosystems, despite their huge ecological functions. Thus, ponds are debasing at an alarming rate as a result of increased anthropogenic activities and anthropogenically driven changes in natural processes, wreaking havoc on ecological health and water quality. In this context, the major threats to ponds include the dumping of solid waste, increased urbanization, pollution, encroachment and climate change which have resulted in the deterioration of ponds over the years. Sustainable management and restoration of ponds are crucial as this ecosystem offers a wide array of ecological functions. As a result, this research aims to assess the current state of ponds in India in terms of monitoring, ecological services provided, and the various threats to which they are subjected. Further, the discussions on management and perspective restoration strategies of this substantial ecosystem are also included. Thereby, this study suggests better conservation strategies for restoration, reclamation, and sustainable utilization of ponds.