Abstract: Atmospheric particulate matter (APM) is a general term for a complex mixture of solids and aerosols in the atmosphere, comprised of small droplets of liquid, dry solid fragments, and solid cores with liquid coatings. A large amount of APM can significantly affect climate, air visibility, and public health. Growing suitable plants can reduce the damage associated with particulate matter, although APM can affect plants to varying degrees through deposition or foliar uptake. Here, we systematically synthesize and review the causes and composition of APM and its effects on plant growth and development, physiology and biochemistry, resistance to disease and insects, productivity, and yield. Methods to reduce the harmful effects are discussed, and future research focusing on how APM affects plants is proposed. The effects of APM on plants are extensive, complex, and dependent on environmental conditions, the concentration and composition of particulate matter, plant species, and study scale. Avoiding or reducing the negative effects of APM can be achieved by predicting changes in the concentration of APM, providing adequate nutrition and hydration, washing the leaves, providing light, and choosing suitable plants. In the future, studies of landscapes and afforestation plants, large-scale vegetation physiology and ecology under the influence of APM, and the effects of various compounds and microbial particulate matter on plants need to be increased. Those researches can focus on plant ecophysiology, leaf nitrogen allocation, mesophyll cell conductivity, and plant genetics and breeding.

Key words: atmospheric particulate matter, plant, physiological ecology, influence mechanism