Bioaccumulation of microplastics in Pisum sativum L. - a pot experiment

Microplastic (MP, 1 μm-5 mm size) pollution of the environment is a global problem with a significant risk to ecosystems and human health. The aim of the present study is to assess the potential of pea plants (Pisum sativum L.) to assimilate MPs from soil and to translocate them into aboveground organs (stem and leaves) as well as to investigate the effects of MPs on plants. Bioaccumulation of MPs from the three studied fractions (1 μm, 5 μm, 100 μm) into all plant organs was established. They exerted a suppressive effect on the biosynthesis of photosynthetic pigments, and hence on the intensity of photosynthesis.