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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Maize/Soybean Intercropping with Straw Return Increases Crop Yield by Influencing the Biological Characteristics of Soil
ClearEnhancing Soil Health and Plant Growth through Microbial Fertilizers: Mechanisms, Benefits, and Sustainable Agricultural Practices
This study examines how microbial fertilizers improve soil health by boosting beneficial microorganism populations that help plants absorb nutrients and resist disease. While not directly about microplastics, healthy soil microbial communities are important for breaking down environmental contaminants including plastics. The research supports sustainable farming practices that could help soils better cope with microplastic contamination.
Assess the Sustainability of Intercropping Systems in the Transgangetic Plains of Punjab, Specially Focusing on the Intercropping of Maize (Zea mays L.) with Black Gram (Vigna mungo) and French Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris)
An intercropping experiment in Punjab found that growing maize with black gram or French bean improved overall land productivity and nitrogen transfer from legumes to cereals. While not related to microplastics, the study evaluates sustainable farming practices that could reduce reliance on synthetic inputs, including plastic-based agricultural materials.
Polyethylene microplastics reduce microbe-driven multifunctionality in maize-soybean intercropping ecosystem
This greenhouse study examined how polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene microplastics affect a maize-soybean intercropping system at concentrations up to 5% by weight. High PP concentrations reduced maize biomass by nearly 30%, while PS surprisingly increased it; microplastic presence generally disrupted soil microbial diversity and reduced overall ecosystem multifunctionality.
Optimizing Microbial Composition in Soil Macroaggregates Enhances Nitrogen Supply Through Long-Term Straw Return
Despite its title referencing soil nitrogen and straw return, this paper studies how long-term agricultural straw incorporation affects microbial communities and nitrogen cycling within soil aggregates — not microplastic pollution. It examines bacterial and fungal biodiversity changes in soil over 13 years and is not relevant to microplastics or human health.
Biochar and organic fertilizer applications enhance soil functional microbial abundance and agroecosystem multifunctionality
A long-term field study found that adding biochar (a charcoal-like material) and organic fertilizer to farm soil significantly boosted beneficial soil microbes involved in nutrient cycling and improved overall ecosystem health by up to 30%. While not directly about microplastics, biochar has been shown in other studies to bind microplastics and reduce their movement through soil, making this approach potentially beneficial for both soil productivity and microplastic mitigation on farms.
Effects of microbial inoculants combined with maize straw on physicochemical properties and microbial community structure in black soil during soybean growth
This paper is not about microplastics; it examines how combining microbial inoculants with maize straw as a soil amendment improves soybean yield and soil microbial diversity.
Impact of Varying doses of Biochar and INM Practices on Agro Physiological Performance, Yield and Economics of Maize (Zea mays L.)
A two-year field experiment found that combining 100% recommended fertilizer dose with 5 t/ha biochar and biofertilizer produced the highest maize yields and best economic returns on reclaimed sodic soils. While not directly about microplastics, the study demonstrates how biochar soil amendments can improve crop productivity, and biochar has separately been studied as a potential sorbent for microplastics in agricultural soils.
Microplastics alter soil enzyme activities and microbial community structure without negatively affecting plant growth in an agroecosystem
Researchers tested how three types of microplastics (polystyrene, polyethylene, and PVC) affected plant growth, soil enzymes, and microbial communities in an agricultural setting. The study found that while microplastics suppressed several soil enzyme activities and altered carbon cycling, they did not negatively affect plant growth and in some cases actually enhanced above-ground and below-ground plant productivity.
The microplastics distribution characteristics and their impact on soil physicochemical properties and bacterial communities in food legumes farmland in northern China
Researchers surveyed farmland soil across five provinces in northern China and found microplastic contamination ranging from 1,600 to over 36,000 particles per kilogram of soil. Most of the microplastics were small fibers and fragments, primarily from agricultural plastic film and organic fertilizer use. The study found that microplastic presence altered soil properties and shifted bacterial community composition, suggesting these particles may affect soil health in food-growing regions.
Impact of Plastic Residues on Soil Properties and Crop Productivity: A Comprehensive Research Study
This agricultural field study assessed how plastic residues at varying contamination levels affect soil physical, chemical, and biological properties and crop productivity, finding that higher microplastic concentrations disrupted soil structure, reduced microbial activity, and lowered plant growth.
Effects of Biodegradable Mulch and Organic Amendments on Maize Root Characteristics and Soil Stabilization Capacity in the Hilly Region of the Loess Plateau
Despite its title referencing biodegradable mulch, this paper studies the effects of various organic soil amendments — peat, biochar, fermented manure, and corn stover — on maize root development and soil stabilization on China's erosion-prone Loess Plateau, not microplastic pollution. It examines how these amendments affect root density and soil cohesion, finding biochar most effective for stabilizing soil. The paper is not relevant to microplastics or human health.
Biochar Mitigates the Negative Effects of Microplastics on Sugarcane Growth by Altering Soil Nutrients and Microbial Community Structure and Function
Microplastic contamination in sugarcane-growing soils in China reduces crop biomass and degrades soil nutrients and microbial diversity. Adding biochar to microplastic-polluted soil helped offset these harms — restoring sugarcane growth, stabilizing soil pH, and improving bacterial community richness. The findings suggest biochar is a practical tool for rehabilitating agricultural land affected by plastic pollution.
Microplastics abundance associated with farmland use types and the impact on soil microbial communities: A case study in Southern China
Researchers surveyed microplastic contamination across orchard, paddy field, and vegetable field soils in Southern China and analyzed how it affected soil microbial communities. They found microplastic levels ranging widely across sites, with very small particles under 30 micrometers being most common, and identified 32 different polymer types. The study shows that farmland use type and agricultural practices like plastic mulching significantly influence both the amount and type of microplastic contamination in soils.
Characterizing Microplastic Pollution and Microbial Community Status in Rice Paddy Soils Across Varied Environmental Settings in Songjiang, Shanghai: An Analysis of Morpho-Chemical Characteristics
Researchers characterized microplastic pollution and associated microbial communities in rice paddy soils, finding widespread microplastic contamination that correlated with shifts in soil bacterial diversity. Plastic-associated microbial communities differed from bulk soil communities, suggesting microplastics create distinct microbial niches in agricultural environments.
Characteristics of microplastics and their abundance impacts on microbial structure and function in agricultural soils of remote areas in west China
Researchers found that agricultural soils in remote western China using plastic mulch film had about four times more microplastics than fields without it, mostly tiny polyamide fragments under 50 micrometers. The microplastics changed the diversity and function of soil bacteria, including boosting organisms linked to organic matter breakdown. These microbial shifts could affect soil health and potentially increase health risks from crops grown in contaminated soil.
Mitigation of microplastic toxicity in soybean by synthetic bacterial community and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi interaction: Altering carbohydrate metabolism, hormonal transduction, and genes associated with lipid and protein metabolism
Researchers found that inoculating soybean plants with a combination of mycorrhizal fungi and beneficial bacteria helped protect them from microplastic-induced stress, improving biomass, seed quality, antioxidant defenses, and hormone balance. The study suggests that soil microbe communities could be harnessed as a sustainable strategy to help crops cope with growing microplastic contamination in agricultural soils.
Effects of incorporating biochar on soil quality and barley yield in microplastics-contaminated soils
This study tested whether adding biochar to microplastic-contaminated soil could improve soil quality and crop performance. Researchers found that biochar application helped offset some of the negative effects of microplastics on soil properties and boosted barley yields even under drought conditions. The results suggest biochar could be a practical tool for managing farmland affected by plastic pollution.
Exploring the Occurrence Characteristics of Microplastics in Typical Maize Farmland Soils With Long-Term Plastic Film Mulching in Northern China
A survey of 225 soil samples from maize farmland with long-term plastic film mulching in northern China found widespread microplastic contamination, with abundance, distribution, and polymer composition reflecting the history of film use and agricultural management practices.
Investigation of the effects of polyethylene microplastics at environmentally relevant concentrations on the plant-soil-microbiota system: A two-year field trial
Researchers conducted a two-year field trial to study how polyethylene microplastics at environmentally relevant concentrations affect crops, soil, and microbial communities in a rice-wheat rotation system. They found that microplastics did not harm wheat growth but actually increased rice grain weight and plant height, while reducing soil nutrient levels including nitrogen and phosphorus. The study reveals that microplastics can alter soil bacterial communities and disrupt metabolic processes in ways that differ between crop seasons.
A 10-Year Monitoring of Soil Properties Dynamics and Soil Fertility Evaluation in Chinese Hickory Plantation Regions of Southeastern China
A 10-year soil monitoring study in Chinese hickory plantations found that intensive agricultural management caused significant changes in soil chemistry and fertility over time. While not directly about microplastics, understanding soil health in managed agricultural landscapes is relevant to assessing microplastic accumulation in farmland soils.
Polyethylene microplastics alter soil microbial community assembly and ecosystem multifunctionality
Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastics at different concentrations affect soil microbial communities and overall ecosystem function in a maize growing system. They found that higher concentrations of microplastics shifted microbial community composition, reduced beneficial bacteria involved in nutrient cycling, and impaired multiple soil ecosystem functions simultaneously. The study suggests that microplastic contamination in agricultural soils can undermine the biological processes that support healthy crop growth.
Differences, links, and roles of microbial and stoichiometric factors in microplastic distribution: A case study of five typical rice cropping regions in China
Researchers investigated microplastic distribution across five major rice-growing regions in China, finding that microbial community composition and soil stoichiometric factors like carbon-to-nitrogen ratios significantly influenced microplastic accumulation patterns in agricultural soils.
Advancing modified biochar for sustainable agriculture: a comprehensive review on characterization, analysis, and soil performance
This review covers how biochar, a carbon-rich material made from organic waste, can be modified to improve soil health and crop growth. While not directly about microplastics, modified biochar has been studied as a potential tool for absorbing and immobilizing microplastics in contaminated soil. Understanding how to optimize biochar properties could help develop strategies for reducing microplastic uptake by food crops.
Microplastic: Evaluating the Impact on Soil-Microbes and Plant System
This review examines how microplastics affect soil microbial communities and plant systems in agricultural settings, documenting impacts on soil health, microbial diversity, and crop physiology. As microplastics accumulate in farmland soils through irrigation, sludge application, and plastic mulches, their effects on the soil ecosystem that underpins food production are a growing concern.