Tasnim Tahara

Industrialization has significantly increased the productivity of agriculture but industrial wastes have also increased the contamination of agricultural soils. This is an increasing threat to the food safety, the stability of ecosystems and human health. Certain industrial by-products can provide short-term benefits to soil fertility and crop yields but can also introduce hazardous contaminants to agroecosystems, including heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants (POPs), microplastics, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and engineered nanoparticles. This review critically synthesizes the global evidence of sources, transport pathways, environmental fate and transfer to the food chain of industrial contaminants in agricultural soils. It emphasizes the paradox of high crop yields in spite of the clandestine build-up of toxic substances that deteriorate soil health, microbial diversity, crop safety and the long term sustainability of agriculture. The major challenges are poor management of industrial waste, lack of monitoring systems, interactions among pollutants, weak regulatory frameworks and limited knowledge about emerging contaminants under changing climatic conditions. The review also includes integrated mitigation measures such as sustainable waste management, innovative soil remediation techniques, phytoremediation, biochar use, precision agriculture and other stronger environmental policies to reduce the accumulation of contaminants and human exposure. Future perspectives emphasize the need for high-throughput monitoring tools, remote sensing, biosensors, digital soil mapping, improved risk assessment frameworks, and interdisciplinary research to better understand contaminant dynamics and develop resilient soil management strategies. In summary, the review emphasizes that sustainable agriculture should be assessed not only by crop productivity but also by soil health, environmental integrity and food safety. In the context of an increasingly industrialized world it is crucial to take a holistic and integrated approach combining scientific innovation with efficient policy implementation and continuous environmental surveillance for the protection of agricultural ecosystems and sustainable food production.

Rice ( Oryza sativa ), a staple food for more than half of the world's population, is increasingly threatened by multiple abiotic and biotic stresses that interact to reduce productivity. Among these, salinity stress and insect and pest infestation are two of the most serious constraints in rice cultivation, particularly in coastal and irrigated ecosystems. Salinity impairs rice growth through osmotic stress, ionic toxicity, nutrient imbalance, and oxidative damage. Meanwhile, insect pests such as the brown planthopper, stem borer, and leaf folder further aggravate crop losses by disrupting photosynthesis, sucking plant sap, and destroying reproductive structures. Although these stresses have been studied independently, evidence suggests that their co-occurrence creates compounded damage that is greater than the sum of individual events, leading to severe instability. This dual stress interaction poses a critical challenge for global food security, especially in South and South-east Asia, where millions of smallholder farmers depend on rice for subsistence and income. Economic losses from combined salinity and pest pressure not only reduce farm profitability but also undermine resilience in already vulnerable farming communities. Addressing this issue requires integrating climate-smart and sustainable agricultural practices, including salt-tolerant and pest-resistant rice varieties, Judicious water and nutrient management, biological contents, and precision agriculture technologies. The novelty of this review lies in its focus on the combined impact of salinity stress and insect pests, an area where field-based evidence and mechanistic insights remain evident.