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Microplastic contamination of agricultural soil in Southern India: a review and PRISMA analysis
Summary
This review pulls together 35 studies on microplastic pollution in Southern Indian farmland, finding that soil near urban dumps and fields using plastic mulch, wastewater, or treated sludge can contain thousands of tiny plastic fragments per kilogram of soil. Since these farms grow food crops, this contamination raises concerns about plastics working their way into our food supply, though the researchers note more standardized testing is needed to fully understand the health risks. The bottom line: the plastic we use on farms may be building up in the soil that grows our food, and better monitoring and farming practices are needed to get ahead of the problem.
The presence of microplastic contamination in agricultural soils represents a growing environmental concern, with significant ramifications for soil health, ecosystem functioning, and food security. While a substantial body of research has focused on marine pollution, the study of terrestrial systems, particularly in the Indian context, remains underdeveloped. The present review examined studies from 2015 to 2025, drawing on sources such as Scopus and Web of Science. A PRISMA-guided systematic qualitative review and narrative synthesis were used, excluding effect-size pooling and publication-bias assessment. Out of 210 records, 35 met the criteria for comprehensive analysis. The findings demonstrate that microplastic levels vary significantly, with concentrations ranging from ~ 45 items/kg in urban agricultural fields to more than ~ 4200 items/kg in mulched and unmulched fields. Fibres and fragments are the most prevalent forms of debris, with polyethene and polypropylene being the predominant polymers. In Southern India, contamination levels are highest at urban dump sites and in agricultural areas that use plastic mulch, apply wastewater or biosolids, or are subject to atmospheric deposition. This region-specific review underscores substantial data deficiencies and calls for standardised monitoring, enhanced policies, and sustainable farming practices to address microplastic pollution in soils.