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Characterization and risk assessment of microplastics in greenhouse soil profiles under different ratios of organic manure and chemical fertilizer in Shouguang, China
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Farmers often mix organic manure with chemical fertilizers to boost crop soil, but this study found that heavier manure use is linked to much higher levels of tiny plastic particles (microplastics) building up in farmland soil, likely from plastic contaminants in the manure itself. Since these microplastics can end up in the food we grow and eventually in our bodies, and the study flagged notable environmental risk in all the soils tested, the findings suggest farming practices may need to be adjusted to limit this hidden source of plastic pollution.
The combined application of organic manure and mineral fertilizers is common in intensive agriculture, yet its influence on microplastic (MP) accumulation and vertical transport in soils remains insufficiently understood. This study quantified MP abundance, size distribution, polymer composition, and ecological risk under different organic-chemical fertilizer ratios in a greenhouse production system. Forty-five soil samples from three depths (0–10, 10–20, and 20–30 cm) were analyzed using stereomicroscopy and µ-FTIR spectroscopy. MP concentrations ranged from 500 to 4000 items/kg, with substantially higher levels under conventional manure-based fertilization than in the unfertilized control and the reduced-manure treatment. MPs < 2 mm predominated in manure-amended soils, and nine polymers were identified, dominated by polypropylene and polyethylene. Both MP abundance and particle size decreased with depth, indicating attenuation across the plow layer. Ecological risk assessment classified all treatments at risk level III or above, reflecting notable environmental concern. Importantly, higher manure input may be associated with higher microplastic abundance under the investigated conditions. These findings advance understanding of MP behavior under different fertilization regimes and provide a scientific basis for reducing MP contamination in intensively managed agricultural soils.
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Occurrence and distribution of microplastics in organic fertilizers in China
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Researchers surveyed microplastic contamination in organic fertilizers across China, finding widespread plastic particles in compost, manure, and biosolids, identifying fertilizer application as an emerging pathway for microplastic accumulation in agricultural soils.
Microplastic pollution in organic farming development cannot be ignored in China: Perspective of commercial organic fertilizer
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Researchers found that commercial organic fertilizers used across China contain high levels of microplastics, ranging from thousands to tens of thousands of particles per kilogram, with most being very small particles under 100 micrometers. After five years of fertilizer application, enormous quantities of microplastics are predicted to accumulate in orchard soils. This means that organic farming, often considered the healthier choice, may actually be introducing significant microplastic contamination into food-producing soil.
Co-occurrence of soil microplastics and heavy metals in low-Cd maize remediation fields: Implications for nutrient and ecological risk of microplastics in farmland
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Farms in China using special low-cadmium corn and soil treatments to clean up heavy metal pollution have an unexpected side effect: tiny plastic bits (microplastics) are building up in the soil, likely from the fertilizers and farming products being used. While most fields showed low-to-moderate risk from these microplastics, some sites were creeping toward higher risk levels—meaning the very techniques designed to make farmland safer could be introducing a different kind of contamination worth watching, since microplastics in soil can end up in crops and eventually our food.
Significant influence of land use types and anthropogenic activities on the distribution of microplastics in soil: A case from a typical mining-agricultural city
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Scientists surveyed microplastic pollution across five types of land in a Chinese mining-agricultural city and found the highest levels in greenhouse farmland, with nearly 3,738 particles per kilogram of soil. Agricultural plastic waste, irrigation water, and fertilizers were identified as the main sources of contamination. The study shows that farming practices are major contributors to microplastic buildup in the soil that produces our food.
[Distribution Characteristics and Risk Assessment of Microplastics in Farmland Soil in Guyuan].
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Researchers analyzed microplastic distribution in agricultural soils in Guyuan City, China, finding concentrations ranging from 186 to 1,286 particles per kg, with greenhouse farming soils containing 35–229% more microplastics than open fields and PE and PP being the dominant polymer types. The findings raise concern for food chain contamination and demonstrate that plastic mulch film use in facility agriculture significantly increases soil microplastic accumulation.
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