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Long-term plastic mulching exacerbates the co-limitation of carbon and phosphorus in farmland by altering physicochemical properties and microbial interactions
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Researchers examined how prolonged plastic film mulching over 5 to 15 years affects soil microplastic accumulation, nutrient cycling, and microbial communities in Chinese farmland. The study found that long-term mulching significantly increased microplastic abundance while depleting soil carbon and phosphorus, ultimately worsening nutrient co-limitation and disrupting microbial interactions critical for soil health.
Prolonged plastic film mulching causes plastic residue accumulation and microplastic (MP) formation, compromising soil structure and causing contamination. This study examined mulching duration effects (0, 5, 10, 15 years) on soil MPs, physicochemical properties, microbial communities, and nutrient limitations at 0-20 cm and 20-40 cm depths in maize soils of western Jilin, China. Mulching duration significantly increased MP abundance. Film-like MPs dominated, progressively fragmenting into smaller sizes over time. Long-term mulching enhanced soil moisture and EC (Electrical Conductivity) but decreased SOC (Soil Organic Carbon) and TN (Total Nitrogen), while increasing TP (Total Phosphorus) and AP (Available phosphorus). Microbial responses diverged: bacterial diversity and network complexity rose with enhanced cooperation, whereas fungal networks showed intensified competition. Extracellular enzyme stoichiometry indicated aggravated microbial co-limitation by C (Carbon) and P (Phosphorus), driven by MP-induced SOC depletion and altered P dynamics. SEM (Structural Equation Modeling) revealed that plastic mulching directly altered soil physicochemical properties through MPs accumulation, while indirectly regulating microbial community composition, ultimately exacerbating C-P co-limitation in microbial metabolism. The study highlights soil health risks from long-term mulching and highlights the necessity to seek alternatives such as biodegradable films to mitigate soil health risks associated with long-term plastic mulching.
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Distribution and weathering characteristics of microplastics in paddy soils following long-term mulching: A field study in Southwest China
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Researchers investigated microplastic distribution in paddy soils following long-term plastic film mulching in Southwest China, finding that ten years of continuous mulching significantly increased filmy microplastic accumulation and that weathering altered the chemical properties of these particles.
Agricultural plastic films reshape soil microplastic distribution, nitrogen cycle and ecological risks in facility agriculture
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Researchers compared microplastic characteristics in protected agriculture systems and traditional farmland soils in China, finding significantly higher microplastic abundance in mulched farmland and documenting correlations between microplastic presence and altered soil nitrogen cycling and heavy metal distribution.
The persistently breaking trade-offs of three-decade plastic film mulching: Microplastic pollution, soil degradation and reduced cotton yield
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A study of cotton fields in northwest China with 3-32 years of continuous plastic mulch use found that microplastic abundance in soil increased exponentially with mulching duration, while soil physical properties degraded and cotton root traits and yields declined in heavily mulched plots. The results challenge the assumed economic trade-off of plastic mulching, suggesting decades of cumulative MP pollution eventually costs more in yield than it provides in early-season benefits.
Microplastic Accumulation in Agricultural Soils with Different Mulching Histories in Xinjiang, China
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Researchers found that microplastic accumulation in agricultural soils of Xinjiang, China increases significantly with mulching history, with fields mulched for over 20 years containing substantially more microplastics across all soil layers.
Microplastic accumulation reshapes the assembly of bacterial and fungal communities and soil nutrient cycling in long-term mulched farmland soil
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Soil samples from farmland covered with plastic film for 5, 13, or 20 years showed that microplastics built up and broke into smaller pieces over time, changing nutrient levels and shifting the mix of soil bacteria and fungi. Bacterial diversity rose while fungal diversity fell, and these community changes were linked mainly to microplastic-driven changes in soil nutrients.
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