Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Tiny toxins, big problems: the hidden threat of microplastic in agroecosystems

This review examines the impacts of microplastic contamination in agricultural soils, covering sources from plastic mulch and irrigation, effects on soil structure, water retention, microbial diversity, and nutrient cycling, and consequences for crop health and food safety.

2025 Plant Science Today
Article Tier 2

Microplastics accumulation in agricultural soil: Evidence for the presence, potential effects, extraction, and current bioremediation approaches

This review examines the accumulation of microplastics in agricultural soils from sources like plastic mulching and irrigation, discussing their effects on soil properties and crop growth, along with current bioremediation approaches for removing soil microplastics.

2022 Journal of Applied Biology & Biotechnology 24 citations
Article Tier 2

What Do We Know About the Effects of Microplastics on Soil?

This review examines the effects of microplastics on soil ecosystems, covering how mulching, wastewater irrigation, sludge application, and atmospheric deposition introduce microplastics to soil, where they alter physicochemical properties, affect microbial communities, and carry co-pollutants.

2023 3 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2025 Futuristic Biotechnology
Article Tier 2

Influences of land use and depth profile on the characteristics of microplastics in agricultural soils

Researchers examined how land use and soil depth profile influence microplastic characteristics in agricultural soils, finding that wastewater and sludge application, plastic mulching, and atmospheric deposition are key sources, and that MP type and abundance vary with soil management practice and depth, highlighting the importance of vertical distribution in soil MP studies.

2025
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Agriculture- a Review

This review examines the growing presence of microplastics in agricultural environments, covering their sources from plastic mulch films and irrigation water, their effects on soil health and crop quality, and the implications for food safety and sustainable agriculture.

2025 International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research
Article Tier 2

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.

2023 ACS symposium series 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Agricultural Soil

This book chapter surveys microplastic contamination in agricultural soils, reviewing the sources of plastic inputs, concentrations found in different farming systems, and the effects of MPs on soil properties, microbial communities, and crop yields.

2025
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on soil properties: Current knowledge and future perspectives

This review examines how microplastics affect soil health, including changes to soil structure, chemistry, and the microbial communities that keep soil fertile. The effects vary depending on the type, shape, and amount of plastic present, but in many cases microplastics alter nutrient availability and can even influence greenhouse gas emissions from soil. These changes could threaten crop productivity and food safety, since microplastics are now found in agricultural soils worldwide.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 837 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

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.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on selected physical properties of agricultural soils and on the response of the selected terrestrial isopod

Scientists found that tiny plastic pieces from agricultural films change how soil holds and releases water, with some types increasing available water for plants by about 5%. These microplastics also affect soil creatures that help keep ecosystems healthy. This matters because these plastic particles could be changing how our food is grown and may eventually end up in the crops we eat.

2026 Repository of the University of Ljubljana (University of Ljubljana)
Article Tier 2

The Growing Problem of Soil Pollution with Microplastics: a Review

This review examined how microplastic accumulation in soil disrupts physicochemical properties including structure, porosity, and water retention, impairs soil microbial communities, inhibits plant growth, and causes oxidative stress, with agricultural soils identified as especially vulnerable to contamination.

2025
Article Tier 2

Microplastics pollution modulated by farming regimes under multi-scenarios

Microplastic concentrations in agricultural soils were found to vary with farming regimes, with certain practices under mulching leading to higher accumulation. The study highlights how common agricultural methods contribute to soil microplastic pollution and supports calls for better plastic mulch management.

2025 iScience 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of Microplastics on Soil Health: Soil-Water Retention, Shrinkage and Holding Properties

A review of research on microplastics in soil found that plastic particles can alter water retention, shrinkage, and structural properties in ways that could reduce agricultural productivity. Because microplastics are as prevalent in soils as in oceans, their terrestrial impacts warrant much greater research attention.

2020 OakTrust (Texas A&M University Libraries) 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Does plastic and microplastic change the soil physical properties? A review

This review summarizes how microplastics in soil affect physical properties such as water retention, aggregation, and aeration. Plastic particles enter soil through mulch films, sewage sludge, and irrigation water, and their accumulation threatens the health of agricultural soils that support food production.

2023 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in agricultural soils: a new challenge not only for agro-environmental policy?

This review addresses microplastic pollution in agricultural soils, identifying farming practices like mulching and sludge application as significant sources and discussing potential impacts on soil health and food safety. It calls for both policy action and more research on microplastic behavior in terrestrial environments.

2019 AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) 5 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

Microplastic interactions in the agroecosystems: methodological advances and limitations in quantifying microplastics from agricultural soil

This review examines how microplastics behave in agricultural soils and their effects on soil quality and crop growth. Researchers found that microplastics alter key soil properties like water retention, density, and microbial composition, and can make other pollutants like heavy metals more available to plants. The study also highlights gaps in current methods for isolating and identifying microplastics in soil samples.

2024 Environmental Geochemistry and Health 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic Mulch‐Derived Microplastics in Agricultural Soil Systems

This review examines how plastic mulch films widely used in agriculture degrade via photodegradation, chemical processes, and microbial activity to form microplastics, and discusses how these microplastics affect soil properties, plant growth, soil microbiomes, and broader agricultural ecosystem health.

2023 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in agroecosystems: A review of effects on soil biota and key soil functions

This review examines how microplastic and nanoplastic contamination in agricultural soils affects soil organisms and ecological functions. Researchers found that plastics enter farmland through multiple pathways including plastic mulch, sewage sludge, and irrigation water, and once present they alter soil properties and exhibit toxic behavior toward soil biota. The study identifies significant knowledge gaps about the long-term impacts of microplastic accumulation on agricultural productivity and food safety.

2022 Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science 79 citations
Article Tier 2

Macro and microplastics in the soil: abundance, characterization, identification, and interactions under different land uses in an agricultural sub-basin

Researchers examined the abundance, characterization, identification, and interactions of macro- and microplastics in soils under different land uses within an agricultural sub-basin, assessing how land-use patterns influence plastic pollution distribution and potential interactions with the soil environment.

2025 LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas)
Article Tier 2

Evaluating the impacts of microplastics on agricultural soil physical, chemical properties, and toxic metal availability: An emerging concern for sustainable agriculture

This study tested how five common types of microplastics affect soil properties and heavy metal availability in agricultural soil over 90 days. Microplastics changed soil structure, nutrient levels, and water-holding capacity, and actually reduced the availability of toxic heavy metals at higher plastic concentrations -- highlighting the complex ways plastic pollution is altering the farmland that produces our food.

2025 PLoS ONE 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Biofilm Structural and Functional Features on Microplastic Surfaces in Greenhouse Agricultural Soil

Researchers studied biofilm formation on five types of microplastics in greenhouse agricultural soil over 30 days at two concentrations. The study found evidence of microbial enrichment on all plastic types, with biofilm community composition varying by polymer type and concentration. The findings suggest that microplastics in agricultural soils serve as distinct microbial habitats that may influence soil microbial ecology.

2022 Sustainability 61 citations