The ubiquitous presence of microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) in the environment is an undeniable and serious concern due to their higher persistence and extensive use in agricultural production. This review highlights the sources and fate of MPs and NPs in soil and their uptake, translocation, and physiological effects in the plant system. We provide the current snapshot of the latest reported studies with the majority of literature spanning the last five years. We draw attention to the potential risk of MPs and NPs in modern agriculture and their effects on plant growth and development. We also highlight their uptake and transport pathways in roots and leaves via different exposure methods in plants. Conclusively, agricultural practices, climate changes (wet weather and heavy rainfall), and soil organisms play a major role in transporting MPs and NPs in soil. NPs are more prone to enter plant cell walls as compared to MPs. Furthermore, transpiration pull is the dominant factor in the plant uptake and translocation of plastic particles. MPs have negligible negative effects on plant physiological and biochemical indicators. Overall, there is a dire need to establish long-term studies for a better understanding of their fate and associated risks mechanisms in realistic environment scenarios for safe agricultural functions.

Chromium (Cr) is one of the top seven toxic heavy metals, being ranked 21st among the abundantly found metals in the earth’s crust. A huge amount of Cr releases from various industries and Cr mines, which is accumulating in the agricultural land, is significantly reducing the crop development, growth, and yield. Chromium mediates phytotoxicity either by direct interaction with different plant parts and metabolic pathways or it generates internal stress by inducing the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Thus, the role of Cr-induced ROS in the phytotoxicity is very important. In the current study, we reviewed the most recent publications regarding Cr-induced ROS, Cr-induced alteration in the enzymatic antioxidant system, Cr-induced lipid peroxidation and cell membrane damage, Cr-induced DNA damage and genotoxicity, Cr-induced ultrastructural changes in cell and subcellular level, and Cr-induced alterations in photosynthesis and photosynthetic apparatus. Taken together, we conclude that Cr-induced ROS and the suppression of the enzymatic antioxidant system actually mediate Cr-induced cytotoxic, genotoxic, ultrastructural, and photosynthetic changes in plants.

The conservation of ecosystems and their biodiversity has numerous co-benefits, both for local societies and for humankind worldwide. While the co-benefit of climate change mitigation through so called blue carbon storage in coastal ecosystems has raised increasing interest in mangroves, the relevance of multifaceted biodiversity as a driver of carbon storage remains unclear. Sediment salinity, taxonomic diversity, functional diversity and functional distinctiveness together explain 69%, 69%, 27% and 61% of the variation in above- and belowground plant biomass carbon, sediment organic carbon and total ecosystem carbon storage, respectively, in the Sundarbans Reserved Forest. Functional distinctiveness had the strongest explanatory power for carbon storage, indicating that blue carbon in mangroves is driven by the functional composition of diverse tree assemblages. Protecting and restoring mangrove biodiversity with site-specific dominant species and other species of contrasting functional traits would have the co-benefit of maximizing their capacity for climate change mitigation through increased carbon storage.

Secondary metabolites have been extensively used in the treatment of various health problems. The role of solvent polarity on the phytochemical isolation and antioxidant capacity of Isatis tinctoria (woad) is elusive. In the present study, 14 solvents with different polarity were used in the extraction and total phenolic and flavonoid content (TPC and TFC) investigation. Ferricyanide, phosphomolybdenum, and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) methods were used to calculate and compare the antioxidant/free radical scavenging capacity. Our results showed that solvent polarity greatly affects TPC and TFC yield, which is mainly increasing with increasing solvent polarity index and suddenly decreasing at very high polarity. The comparative results showed that TPC is directly correlated with reducing power, antioxidant, and free radical scavenging capacity. Taken together, we conclude that different woad plant parts contain different level of secondary metabolites with a specific polarity that requires a particular solvent with an appropriate polarity index for the extraction. The identification of these biologically active crude extracts and fractions are very important for the basic biological sciences, pharmaceutical applications, and future research for HPLC based active compounds isolation.

Understanding the mechanisms of crops in response to elevated CO2 concentrations is pivotal to estimating the impacts of climate change on the global agricultural production. Based on earlier results of the “doubling-CO2 concentration” experiments, many current climate models may overestimate the CO2 fertilization effect on crops, and meanwhile, underestimate the potential impacts of future climate change on global agriculture ecosystem when the atmospheric CO2 concentration goes beyond the optimal levels for crop growth. This study examined the photosynthetic response of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) to elevated CO2 concentration associated with changes in leaf structure, non-structural carbohydrates and nitrogen content with environmental growth chambers where the CO2 concentration was controlled at 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1200, 1400, 1600 ppm. We found CO2-induced down-regulation of leaf photosynthesis as evidenced by the consistently declined leaf net photosynthetic rate (An) with elevated CO2 concentrations. This down-regulation of leaf photosynthesis was evident in biochemical and photochemical processes since the maximum carboxylation rate (Vcmax) and the maximum electron transport rate (Jmax) were dramatically decreased at higher CO2 concentrations exceeding their optimal values of about 600 ppm and 400 ppm, respectively. Moreover, the down-regulation of leaf photosynthesis at high CO2 concentration was partially attributed to the reduced stomatal conductance (Gs) as demonstrated by the declines in stomatal density and stomatal area as well as the changes in the spatial distribution pattern of stomata. In addition, the smaller total mesophyll size (palisade and spongy tissues) and the lower nitrogen availability may also contribute to the down-regulation of leaf photosynthesis when soybean subjected to high CO2 concentration environment. Down-regulation of leaf photosynthesis associated with the changes in stomatal traits, mesophyll tissue size, non-structural carbohydrates, and nitrogen availability of soybean in response to future high atmospheric CO2 concentration and climate change.

The production of lithium (Li) increased by 256% in recent years due to unprecedented demands from technological industries. Intensive harvesting poses serious impacts on the sustainability of Li production. Herein, we address the global Li cycle and predict the peak production to reach 740000 million tons in 2041. Global Li accumulation in water bodies is mapped, and the consequences on human health of a wide range (20 mg L⁻¹) of Li concentrations in drinking water are explored. The implications to human health of Li exposure remains unresolved and needs further investigation. There are still no recommendations on safe limits of Li in drinking water for humankind. In conclusion, there is an emergency call to health governing bodies, environmental protection agencies and scientific communities for urgent efforts on sustainable production of Li and identify their thresholds levels in drinking water to minimize the emerging consequences of Li on humans.