Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

The Ecological Trap: Biodegradable Mulch Film Residue Undermines Soil Fungal Network Stability

Researchers compared microplastic accumulation, soil fungal communities, and ecological network stability under conventional polyethylene and biodegradable PLA+PBAT mulch film residues in a maize field. Both film types disrupted fungal network stability, but biodegradable films produced smaller MP particles that penetrated soil more deeply and altered fungal diversity differently.

2025 Microorganisms 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in agroecosystem – effects of plastic mulch film residues on soil-plant system

This review examines how residues from both conventional polyethylene and biodegradable plastic mulch films accumulate in agricultural soils and affect plant growth and soil health. Both types of mulch film residues are found to have negative effects on the soil-plant system, raising questions about the environmental safety of biodegradable plastic alternatives.

2020 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Interactions of microplastics and cadmium on plant growth and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities in an agricultural soil

Researchers studied how polyethylene and polylactic acid microplastics interact with cadmium contamination to affect maize growth and beneficial soil fungi in agricultural soil. While polyethylene showed minimal direct plant toxicity, high doses of polylactic acid significantly reduced maize biomass, and both plastic types altered the communities of root-associated fungi. The study suggests that co-contamination of microplastics and heavy metals in farmland can jointly disrupt plant health and soil ecosystems.

2020 Chemosphere 643 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of Long-Term Biodegradable Film Mulch on Soil Physicochemical and Microbial Properties

Long-term use of biodegradable mulch film was compared to conventional plastic and no-mulch controls in terms of soil physical, chemical, and microbial properties, with results showing that biodegradable mulch altered soil structure and microbial diversity in ways differing from both conventional plastic and bare soil. The findings raise questions about the cumulative effects of biodegradable plastic residues on agricultural soil health.

2022 Toxics 54 citations
Article Tier 2

Consequences of 33 Years of Plastic Film Mulching and Nitrogen Fertilization on Maize Growth and Soil Quality

Researchers found that after 33 years of continuous plastic film mulching, residual microplastics in soil persisted even after mulching stopped, though soil moisture and crop yields were still influenced by the legacy effects of long-term mulch use and nitrogen fertilization.

2023 Environmental Science & Technology 41 citations
Article Tier 2

Agricultural mulching and fungicides—impacts on fungal biomass, mycotoxin occurrence, and soil organic matter decomposition

Researchers studied how plastic mulch and straw soil coverings affect the fate of fungicides applied to crops, finding that plastic mulch reduced fungicide entry into soil and altered soil fungal communities. The study highlights how plastic agricultural practices create complex interactions with other chemicals, including effects on microorganisms important for soil health.

2021 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Soil Microbial Biomass and Microarthropod Community Responses to Conventional and Biodegradable Plastics

Researchers assessed the medium-term effects of conventional polyethylene plastic mulch versus biodegradable alternatives on soil microbial biomass and microarthropod communities. They found that both plastic types and their residues in soil influenced biological communities over time, though the specific impacts differed between conventional and biodegradable materials. The study provides evidence that switching to bioplastic mulches may alter, but not necessarily eliminate, the effects of plastic residues on soil ecosystems.

2024 Soil Systems 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi enhance maize cadmium resistance and reduce translocation: Dependence on microplastics concentration

Researchers investigated how beneficial soil fungi called arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi can help maize plants resist cadmium toxicity in soils contaminated with both microplastics and heavy metals. They found that high concentrations of polyethylene microplastics worsened cadmium toxicity, but inoculation with mycorrhizal fungi significantly improved plant growth, nutrient uptake, and photosynthesis. The study suggests that these fungi could serve as a biological tool for managing crop health in soils with combined microplastic and heavy metal contamination.

2026
Article Tier 2

Effects of Biodegradable Film and Polyethylene Film Residues on Soil Moisture and Maize Productivity in Dryland

Researchers found that biodegradable agricultural films are a viable alternative to conventional polyethylene mulch films, with higher degradation rates and less impact on soil moisture and maize root growth, ultimately improving grain yield and water use efficiency over a two-year field experiment.

2023 Agriculture 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Composted PBST Biodegradable Mulch Film Residues Enhance Crop Development: Insights into Microbial Community Assembly, Network Interactions, and Soil Metabolism

Researchers studied how composting residues from PBST biodegradable mulch film affect crop development, soil microbial communities, and soil metabolism. The study found that while biodegradable mulch films are designed to break down completely, their residues can persist and transform into microplastics, though composting these residues appeared to enhance crop development through changes in microbial community assembly and soil metabolic processes.

2025 Plants 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Agricultural mulch films as soil microplastic contamination factor

This review examines agricultural mulch films as a source of soil microplastic contamination, summarizing evidence on degradation rates, particle accumulation in soil profiles, and impacts on soil properties and biological communities over time.

2024
Article Tier 2

Biodegradable Plastic Mulch Films: Impacts on Soil Microbial Communities and Ecosystem Functions

This review examines how biodegradable plastic mulch films affect soil microbial communities and ecosystem functions compared to conventional polyethylene mulches. Researchers found that while biodegradable films avoid the problem of permanent plastic accumulation, their breakdown products can still alter soil microbiomes and carbon cycling in ways that are not yet fully understood. The study highlights the need for long-term field research to determine whether biodegradable mulches are truly a sustainable alternative for agriculture.

2018 Frontiers in Microbiology 453 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic mulch film residues in agriculture: impact on soil suppressiveness, plant growth, and microbial communities

Researchers tested the effects of low-density polyethylene and biodegradable mulch film residues on soil disease suppressiveness, plant growth, and microbial communities. They found that while 1% plastic residues did not affect the soil's ability to suppress Fusarium disease, plant biomass decreased and nutrient status changed in the presence of plastic. Notably, the microbial communities on the plastic surfaces (the plastisphere) were distinct from those in the rhizosphere and included potential plant pathogens like Rhizoctonia.

2022 FEMS Microbiology Ecology 52 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of microplastics on rhizosphere and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi of Zea mays

Researchers exposed maize to two types of polyethylene microplastics (0.1% and 0.5% w/w) in glasshouse conditions for seven weeks and measured effects on rhizosphere fungi and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Mycorrhizal root colonization, spore abundance, and fungal diversity were significantly reduced in a concentration-dependent manner, potentially impairing plant nutrient uptake.

2025 Ceylon Journal of Science 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic mulching in agriculture. Trading short-term agronomic benefits for long-term soil degradation?

This study examined plastic mulch use in agriculture, arguing that short-term crop benefits come with long-term costs as mulch fragments accumulate in soil as microplastics and disrupt soil structure, biology, and water dynamics.

2016 The Science of The Total Environment 1452 citations
Article Tier 2

The Succession of Bacterial Community Attached on Biodegradable Plastic Mulches During the Degradation in Soil

Researchers studied how bacterial communities colonize and change over time on biodegradable plastic mulches buried in soil for five months. The study found that plastic composition and incubation time significantly shaped microbial communities, and notably, potential pathogens were detected at higher levels on biodegradable plastics compared to conventional polyethylene mulch.

2021 Frontiers in Microbiology 59 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics modify plant-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi systems in a Pb-Zn-contaminated soil

Researchers examined how six types of microplastics affect sweet sorghum growth and soil fungal communities in soil contaminated with lead and zinc. They found that microplastics generally did not inhibit plant growth and in some cases promoted it, but they increased the uptake of heavy metals into plant shoots. The study suggests that microplastics may worsen the risks of heavy metal contamination in agricultural soils by enhancing metal accumulation in crops.

2025 Applied Soil Ecology 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Film Mulching on Soil Microbial Diversity and Community Structure in the Maize Root Zone under Drip Irrigation in Northwest China

A field study in Northwest China examined how different plastic film mulching practices affected soil microbial diversity and community structure in drip-irrigated maize fields across the growing season.

2024 Agronomy 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics distribution and microbial community characteristics of farmland soil under different mulch methods

This study compared microplastic distribution and soil microbial community structure in farmland soils under different plastic film mulching methods including no mulch, biodegradable film, and conventional polyethylene film. Mulching method significantly altered both microplastic abundance and microbial diversity in the top soil layer.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 52 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of Multiyear Biodegradable Plastic Mulch on Soil Microbial Community, Assembly, and Functioning

This study examined how using biodegradable plastic mulch (PBAT) on farmland for multiple years affected soil microbes. The mulch changed the types of bacteria and fungi in the soil, including encouraging bacteria that may help break down plastic but also disrupting natural nutrient cycling. The findings raise questions about whether biodegradable plastic alternatives are truly safe for long-term agricultural use, since they still alter soil ecosystems as they break down into microplastics.

2025 Microorganisms 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of aging behavior of biodegradable mulch on soil microbial community composition: An offline simulation study

Researchers conducted a 60-day outdoor aging test on four formulations of biodegradable PBAT mulch film and found that starch additions accelerated mechanical breakdown while PLA additions slowed it, with aged mulch shifting soil fungal communities toward Mortierella but producing no detectable harmful effects on soil health.

2024 Journal of Environmental Management 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Conventional and biodegradable agricultural microplastics: effects on soil properties and microbial functions across a European pedoclimatic gradient

Researchers tested how microplastics from both conventional polyethylene and biodegradable mulching films affect soil health across experimental plots in Finland, Germany, and Spain. They found that both types of microplastics consistently reduced microbial activity related to nitrogen cycling, with effects becoming more pronounced over the second growing season. The study raises concerns because the concentrations tested are already environmentally relevant in European agricultural soils.

2025 Environmental Pollution 4 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Environmental fate and effects of mulch films on agricultural soil: A systematic review from application to residual impact

This systematic review traces the full lifecycle of plastic mulch films used in farming, from application to breakdown in soil. While these films boost crop yields, they leave behind persistent residues that fragment into microplastics, potentially contaminating soil and groundwater. The review highlights the need for biodegradable alternatives to reduce long-term microplastic accumulation in agricultural land.

2025 Figshare
Systematic Review Tier 1

Environmental fate and effects of mulch films on agricultural soil: A systematic review from application to residual impact

This systematic review examines how plastic mulch films used in agriculture break down over time and release microplastics into farm soil. The films improve crop growth but create lasting environmental damage as plastic fragments accumulate and alter soil properties. The findings underscore the importance of developing truly biodegradable alternatives to protect farmland from microplastic pollution.

2025 Figshare