An Unrecognized Entry Pathway of Submicrometre Plastics into Crop Root: the Split of Hole in Protective Layer

Threats to food safety caused by the continuous accumulation of plastic particles in the terrestrial environment is currently a worldwide concern. To date, descriptions of how plastic particles pass the external biological barrier of crop root have been vague. Here, we demonstrated that submicrometre polystyrene particles passed unimpededly the external biological barrier of maize through the split of holes in the protective layer. We identified plastic particles induced the apical epidermal cells of root tips become round, thereby expanding the intercellular space. It further pulled apart the protective layer between the epidermal cells, and eventually formed the entry pathway for plastic particles. The enhancement of oxidative stress level induced by plastic particles was the main reason for the deformation of the apical epidermal cells (increased roundness values: 15.5%), comparing to the control. Our findings further indicated that the presence of cadmium was conducive to the “holes” formation. Our results highlighted the critical insights into the fracture mechanisms of plastic particles for the external biological barriers of crop roots, providing a strong incentive to access the risk of plastic particles in agriculture security.