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From Plastic Waste to Soil Contaminants: Microplastics and Their Influence on Soil Processes and Plant–Microbe Interactions
Original title: From Plastic Waste to Soil Contaminants: Microplastics and Their Influence on Soil Processes and Plant–Microbe Interactions
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This review summarizes existing research on microplastics in soil, showing they build up through farming practices like plastic mulching and wastewater use. It reports that microplastics disrupt soil microbes, nutrient cycling, plant health, and can promote plant pathogens, while noting gaps in long-term field studies on soil, plants, and food security.
This narrative review has explored different studies on microplastics in soil systems with the chemical characteristics of various forms of microplastics (MPs) and their environmental impact. Plastics, first synthesized in 1907, have become essential in modern life but pose severe environmental challenges due to their persistence and accumulation. India alone generates 9.3 million tons of plastic waste annually, with significant portions mismanaged, leading to environmental degradation and health concerns. Microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) have emerged as critical contaminants, particularly in soil, where agricultural practices such as plastic mulching, sewage sludge application, and wastewater irrigation contribute to their accumulation. These contaminants disrupt soil ecosystems, impacting microbial communities, nutrient cycling, and plant health. MPs have also been shown to promote the growth of plant pathogens. MPs infiltrate water bodies via land-based sources and extreme weather events, further intensifying pollution. However, critical research gaps remain, particularly in field-based studies assessing the long-term impacts of MPs and NPs on soil health, plant growth, food security and trophic transfer. It has also examined how plants and microbes take up microplastics and what effect it is causing on soil chemistry.
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