Bioaccumulation of microplastics in tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum L.) - a pot experiment
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Date
2026-06-20
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Plovdiv University "Paisii Hilendarski"
Abstract
Nowadays it is known that microplastics penetrate seeds, roots, stems, leaves, fruits and plant cells, and the ability for translocation and bioaccumulation depends mainly on their
size and type. The aim of this study is to explore the bioaccumulation and translocation of fluorescent microplastics in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.). The biotesting was carried out
under controlled conditions, using pots with a volume of 0.1 liters. Each pot was filled to 2/3 of the volume with standardized soil, to which the selected fractions of fluorescent polystyrene microplastics (1 μm, 5 μm, 100 μm) were added at a concentration of 0.01% v/w. Two seeds were placed in each pot and a 1.5 cm soil layer was added on top. After a period of 40 days, the penetration and accumulation of microplastics in all underground and aboveground organs of tomato (roots, stem, leaves) was observed. The amount of microplastics was higher in the underground biomass (root system) compared to the aboveground biomass (stem and leaves) in all experimental variants. Microplastics accumulated in tomato plants exerted an impact on their growth and biomass synthesis, which is most pronounced in the finest of the studied fractions - 1 μm (p<0.05). Microplastics also had a suppressive effect on the biosynthesis of photosynthetic pigments, and hence - on the intensity of the photosynthesis process, again most pronounced in the fraction of 1 μm (p<0.05). It has been confirmed that the size of plastic particles is an important factor determining their ability to bioaccumulate and the degree of impact on the vital processes of plants.
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Keywords
fluorescent microplastics, soil pollution, bioaccumulation, food safety