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Degradation and microplastic generation, with associated soil properties and microbial communities, of mulch films exposed above and below ground over 12 months, North Wales, UK
Summary
Scientists buried and exposed seven types of plastic mulch films (used by farmers to cover soil) for a year in UK fields to see how fast they break down and how many microplastic particles they shed into soil. This matters because as these plastics degrade, they don't just disappear—they fragment into tiny pieces that build up in farmland soil, potentially entering the food we grow and eat, and the study also looked at how this affects soil health and the microbes living there.
This dataset contains measurements from a 12-month field experiment in the UK assessing the degradation, microplastic generation, and environmental impacts of seven plastic mulch films exposed above and below ground, alongside associated soil, environmental, and material property data. Below ground films were either in fine or coarse mesh bags (filled with 20g soil and 5x5 cm plastic piece) to allow only microfauna or micro-, meso-, and macrofauna interaction. The aim of this experiment was to identify the degradation rates of mulch films under UK weather conditions, their microplastic generation rates, and their effect on soil properties and microbial communities (microbial data has been deposited with NCBI: PRJNA1229197). The details can be found in the lineage field and the supporting document.