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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Divergent impacts of conventional and biodegradable microplastics on pesticide fate and toxicity in a soil–chive system, underscoring a soil-plant-microbe disruption
ClearBiodegradable microplastics exert differential impacts from polyethylene on pesticide fate in soil-earthworm systems: insights into degradation selectivity and microbial mechanisms
This study compared how conventional polyethylene and biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics affect pesticide behavior in soil with earthworms. Researchers found that PLA at high concentrations actually accelerated pesticide breakdown and increased the accumulation of pesticide byproducts in earthworms by up to 82%, while also causing oxidative stress and gut bacteria disruption, suggesting biodegradable plastics may pose their own set of environmental risks.
Assessment of the Effects of Biodegradable and Nonbiodegradable Microplastics Combined with Pesticides on the Soil Microbiota
This study compared how biodegradable PLA and conventional PET microplastics, combined with common pesticides, affect soil microbial communities. Researchers found that PLA microplastics significantly increased microbial diversity but also enriched potentially harmful bacteria and elevated antibiotic resistance gene abundance more than PET, suggesting biodegradable plastics may pose underappreciated ecological risks in agricultural soils.
Effects of microplastics on 3,5-dichloroaniline adsorption, degradation, bioaccumulation and phytotoxicity in soil-chive systems
Researchers examined how polyethylene and biodegradable PLA microplastics affect the behavior of a toxic pesticide byproduct in soil where chives are grown. They found that both types of microplastics increased soil absorption of the chemical and slowed its breakdown, extending the time it persists in the environment. While the microplastics partially reduced the pesticide's direct harm to plant growth, they increased chemical residues in soil and plant roots.
Chlorpyrifos degradation and its impacts on phosphorus bioavailability in microplastic-contaminated soil
This study found that microplastics made from polylactic acid (a biodegradable plastic) in soil changed how the pesticide chlorpyrifos breaks down and altered the availability of phosphorus, a key nutrient for crops. The microplastics slowed pesticide degradation and affected soil enzyme activity, which could impact both food safety and crop nutrition. The findings show that even biodegradable microplastics can disrupt important soil processes that affect the food supply.
Microbial metabolism influences microplastic perturbation of dissolved organic matter in agricultural soils
Researchers studied how microplastics from both traditional polyethylene and biodegradable polylactic acid plastics change the chemistry of dissolved organic matter in farm soil. Soil microbes broke down substances released by the plastics, altering the soil's chemical composition over 100 days. Surprisingly, the biodegradable plastic released compounds that soil bacteria could more readily use, and after aging, it had roughly 10 times the pollutant-absorbing capacity of polyethylene, suggesting that so-called biodegradable plastics may pose their own environmental risks in agricultural soil.
Effects of polyethylene and polylactic acid microplastics on plant growth and bacterial community in the soil
Researchers compared the effects of regular polyethylene and biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics on soybean growth and soil bacteria. Surprisingly, the biodegradable microplastics caused more harm than conventional ones, significantly reducing root growth and altering soil bacterial communities important for nitrogen fixation. This finding challenges the assumption that biodegradable plastics are always safer for the environment and raises questions about their impact on food crops.
Discrepant soil microbial community and C cycling function responses to conventional and biodegradable microplastics
Scientists compared how conventional polyethylene and biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics affect soil microbial communities and carbon cycling. Researchers found that the two types of microplastics had markedly different effects, with biodegradable plastics causing more changes to microbial community structure and carbon-related gene activity. The study suggests that biodegradable plastics, while designed to be more environmentally friendly, may still significantly alter soil biology.
Biodegradable microplastics decreased plant-derived and increased microbial-derived carbon formation in soil: a two-year field trial
A two-year field experiment compared the effects of conventional (polypropylene) and biodegradable (polylactic acid, PLA) microplastics on soil carbon cycling in agricultural soil. Researchers found that while neither plastic type changed total soil carbon levels, PLA microplastics significantly reduced plant-derived carbon (lignin) by 32% while boosting microbial-derived carbon, suggesting that "biodegradable" plastics still meaningfully alter soil biology and chemistry. This matters because it challenges the assumption that biodegradable plastics are environmentally benign once they break down in farmland.
Discrepant responses of bacterial community and enzyme activities to conventional and biodegradable microplastics in paddy soil
Researchers compared the soil effects of conventional polypropylene microplastics versus biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics in rice paddy soil over 41 days. Both types altered soil chemistry and bacterial communities, but they had different effects on enzyme activity, with PLA causing distinct changes to carbon and nitrogen cycling. This matters because biodegradable plastics, often assumed to be safer, still release microplastics that affect soil health and potentially food crops.
Interactions of traditional and biodegradable microplastics with neonicotinoid pesticides
Researchers investigated how both traditional and biodegradable microplastics interact with neonicotinoid pesticides in agricultural environments. They found that all microplastic types could adsorb the pesticide thiacloprid, but biodegradable microplastics showed different sorption behavior and higher desorption rates compared to conventional plastics. The study suggests that biodegradable microplastics may actually increase pesticide mobility in soils, creating a previously unrecognized pathway for agricultural chemical contamination.
Conventional low-density polyethylene microplastic induce stronger adverse effects on maize–soil–bacteria system than polylactic acid microplastic
A comparison of conventional low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics from mulch film found that LDPE consistently inhibited maize growth while low concentrations of PLA actually promoted it. Both plastic types entered maize root tissues but followed different pathways, and LDPE caused greater harm to soil bacterial communities, suggesting that switching from conventional to biodegradable mulch is genuinely beneficial for agricultural soil health.
Effect of polylactic acid microplastics on soil properties, soil microbials and plant growth
Researchers tested whether microplastics from biodegradable polylactic acid plastic, often proposed as an eco-friendly alternative to conventional plastic, affect soil health and plant growth. High concentrations of these biodegradable microplastics reduced soil pH, altered the ratio of carbon to nitrogen, decreased plant growth, and shifted soil microbial communities. The study suggests that even biodegradable plastics can negatively affect agricultural ecosystems when they break down into microplastic-sized particles.
Role of Biodegradable and Non-Biodegradable Microplastic in Modulating the toxicological Effects of Organic Pollutants in the Soil Organism Folsomia candida
Researchers exposed soil-dwelling springtail insects to combinations of microplastics and agricultural chemicals and found that biodegradable plastics (PBAT- and starch-based) made the toxicity of pesticides and veterinary drugs significantly worse, while conventional polyethylene plastic did not — raising concerns that "eco-friendly" biodegradable plastics may actually increase chemical risks in farming soils.
Exploring the toxicity of biodegradable microplastics and imidacloprid to earthworms (Eisenia fetida) from morphological and gut microbial perspectives
Researchers found that biodegradable microplastics made from polylactic acid (PLA) combined with the pesticide imidacloprid caused more severe harm to earthworms than either pollutant alone, including higher death rates, tissue damage, and disrupted gut bacteria. This is concerning because PLA plastics are marketed as eco-friendly alternatives, yet they can still break down into harmful microplastics in soil. The study shows that biodegradable plastics may actually make pesticide contamination worse for soil organisms.
The Hidden Crisis of Biodegradable Plastics: Polylactic Acid Microplastics Increase Soil Cd and Pb Bioavailability and Associated Human Health Risks
Researchers found that biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics, often marketed as eco-friendly alternatives, significantly increased the availability of toxic heavy metals like cadmium and lead in agricultural soil. The PLA particles altered soil chemistry and microbial communities, leading to greater heavy metal uptake by lettuce and substantially increased health risks for humans consuming the crops.
Effects of different microplastics on the physicochemical properties and microbial diversity of rice rhizosphere soil
Researchers compared how conventional polyethylene and biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics, both fresh and aged, affect rice paddy soil properties and microbial communities. They found that aged microplastics had stronger effects than fresh ones, altering soil pH, nutrient availability, and the composition of root-associated bacteria. The study warns that biodegradable plastics are not necessarily safer for soil health than conventional plastics, especially as they break down over time.
Deciphering the effects of long-term exposure to conventional and biodegradable microplastics on the soil microbiome
This study compared how conventional and biodegradable microplastics affect soil microbes over long time periods and found that both types significantly changed soil microbial communities and disrupted carbon and nitrogen cycling after extended exposure. Biodegradable plastics, often marketed as eco-friendly, actually released more chemical byproducts than conventional plastics, which matters because these soil changes can affect the food we grow.
Insights into soil microbial assemblages and nitrogen cycling function responses to conventional and biodegradable microplastics
Researchers compared how biodegradable polylactic acid and conventional PVC microplastics affect soil bacteria and nitrogen cycling processes. They found that both types of microplastics altered microbial communities, but biodegradable plastics had distinct effects on nitrogen-processing bacteria and did not simply behave as a harmless alternative. The study suggests that switching to biodegradable plastics may change rather than eliminate the impact of microplastic contamination on soil health.
Differential responses of soil microbial community structure and function to conventional and biodegradable microplastics
Scientists compared how tiny pieces of regular plastics and "biodegradable" plastics affect helpful bacteria in soil after 6 months. They found that biodegradable plastics actually disrupted soil bacteria more than regular plastics, changing the microbes that help plants grow and cycle nutrients. This matters because these soil bacteria are crucial for growing healthy food, so switching to biodegradable plastics might not be the simple environmental solution we hoped for.
Response of peanut plant and soil N-fixing bacterial communities to conventional and biodegradable microplastics
Researchers tested how conventional plastics (polyethylene and polystyrene) and a biodegradable plastic (polylactic acid) affect peanut plant growth and nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria. They found that while none of the plastics reduced plant biomass, the biodegradable PLA at high doses dramatically altered soil nitrogen levels and bacterial community composition. The study suggests that biodegradable plastics may not be as harmless to agricultural soil ecosystems as commonly assumed.
From biodegradation to biohazard: Polylactic acid microplastics induced rice growth inhibition in agroecosystems
Researchers tested the effects of polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics, a type marketed as biodegradable, on rice growth in soil. They found that PLA microplastics inhibited rice development by reducing nitrogen availability, disrupting root bacteria, and releasing potentially harmful breakdown products. The study suggests that biodegradable plastics may not be as environmentally safe as assumed, particularly in agricultural settings.
Biodegradable and conventional microplastics exhibit distinct microbiome, functionality, and metabolome changes in soil
Researchers compared the effects of conventional plastics (polyethylene and polystyrene) and biodegradable plastics (polylactide and polybutylene succinate) on soil microbial communities. They found that both types of microplastics significantly altered soil microbial composition, but biodegradable microplastics had a more pronounced impact on soil metabolic function and microbial activity than conventional ones.
Biodegradable microplastics pose greater risks than conventional microplastics to soil properties, microbial community and plant growth, especially under flooded conditions
Researchers compared the effects of biodegradable and conventional microplastics on soil and found that biodegradable plastics (PLA) actually caused more harm to soil chemistry, microbial communities, and plant growth than traditional polyethylene plastics. The damage was especially severe under flooded conditions, which accelerated the breakdown of biodegradable plastics and released more harmful byproducts. This challenges the assumption that switching to biodegradable plastics is always better for the environment.
Biodegradable microplastics exacerbate the risk of antibiotic resistance genes pollution in agricultural soils
This study found that biodegradable plastics (PLA and PBAT), often promoted as eco-friendly alternatives, actually increased antibiotic resistance genes in agricultural soil more than conventional plastics like polyethylene. The biodegradable plastics promoted the growth of bacteria that carry resistance genes and enhanced the ability of these genes to spread between organisms. These findings challenge the assumption that switching to biodegradable plastics will reduce environmental and health risks in farming.