About this Research Topic

Background

Agricultural ecosystems provide food, forage, and energy and are essential for human well-being. However, in recent years, agricultural ecosystems have faced numerous challenges in abiotic and biotic stresses, soil and water pollution, and climate change. Besides these factors, several novel harmful chemicals and compounds have been generated, and their increasing concentration is a severe concern for agriculturists.

These emerging pollutants (EPs) or contaminants consist of naturally and anthropogenically generated novel compounds and are not regulated under current environmental laws. Emerging pollutants are widely distributed, toxic and bioaccumulable, thus impacting the stable ecosystem and ecosystem services. These EPs are produced and intensified anthropogenically and reach water bodies and soil surfaces, where they cause soil and water pollution. Later, their drastic responses were observed in crucial plant processes and functions, which ultimately reduced the yield potential of major crops. Several scientific reports highlighted the causes, effects, and management of these pollutants on the agricultural ecosystem.

Due to urbanization, industrialization, and modernization practices, the concentrations of EPs are swiftly increasing in the environment and becoming major contaminants for the living system. Therefore, it is urgent to manage these EPs through holistic efforts/approaches on their occurrence, intensification and effect on the biotic and abiotic components of the environment before reaching critical concentrations.

This Research Topic aims to provide an overview of the EPs in the environment and their impact and challenges for global food security with the following objectives:

1. Sources and accumulation of EPs in the environment

2. Modeling of EPs in the environment and living organisms

3. Impact of EPs on the living organisms, including plants

4. Crucial mechanism and functions under EPs

5. Bioremediation approaches to mitigate EPs risk

6. Novel biotechnological approaches/ technologies to minimize EPs in the environment and living organisms

7. Policies and regulations for minimizing EPs in the environment

The theme areas for publication include but are not limited to:

• Impact of microplastic pollution on water and agriculture ecosystem

• Nanomaterial toxicity on the agroecosystem

• Novel chemical bioregulators used in agriculture

• Artificial light at night as an emerging pollutant for aquatic and agroecosystem

• Nanopesticides and nanofertilizer in aquatic and agroecosystems

• Electronic waste pollution

• Industrial chemical pollution on agro and water ecosystems

• Synthetic and naturally occurring hormones as emerging pollutants

Keywords: emerging pollutant, bioaccumulation, agricultural ecosystems

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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