Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Effect of plastic pollution in soil properties and growth of grass species in semi-arid regions: a laboratory experiment

Researchers conducted a laboratory experiment to assess how plastic pollution affects soil properties and grass growth in semi-arid conditions. The study found that microplastics altered soil characteristics and influenced the growth of the dominant grass species Carex stenophylla, suggesting that plastic contamination could affect vegetation and soil ecosystems in dryland regions.

2022 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 52 citations
Article Tier 2

Response of the Stability of Soil Aggregates and Erodibility to Land Use Patterns in Wetland Ecosystems of Karst Plateau

This is not about microplastics — it is a soil science study examining how different land use patterns in Chinese karst plateau wetlands affect soil aggregate stability and erosion rates.

2024 Forests 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Three Plantation Coniferous Species on Plant-Soil Feedbacks and Soil Physical and Chemical Properties in Semi-Arid Mountain Ecosystems

This study examined how three different conifer plantation species affect soil physicochemical properties and plant-soil feedback mechanisms in semi-arid mountain ecosystems. It is an ecology and forestry study unrelated to microplastics.

2020 Research Square (Research Square) 5 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2021 Research Square (Research Square) 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Distribution characteristics of soil microplastics and their impact on soil physicochemical properties in agricultural areas of the North China plain

Microplastics are accumulating across agricultural soils of the North China Plain, with this study finding moderate-to-low abundance across multiple land use types and detecting that plastic particles affect soil texture, bulk density, and water-holding capacity. Altered soil physical properties from microplastic contamination could impair crop growth and soil fertility over time, with implications for food security.

2024 Environmental Science Processes & Impacts 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Different Mulch Types on Farmland Soil Moisture in an Artificial Oasis Area

Not relevant to microplastics — this study compares how different mulch materials (including conventional polyethylene plastic films) affect soil moisture retention in an arid farming region of China, focusing on water management rather than plastic fragmentation or microplastic contamination.

2023 Land 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Particle Size Distribution and Depth to Bedrock of Chinese Cultivated Soils: Implications for Soil Classification and Management

This paper is not relevant to microplastics research — it characterises particle size distribution and depth to bedrock in Chinese agricultural soils to inform soil classification and land management.

2023 Agronomy 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics influence nutrient content and quality of salt-affected agricultural soil under plastic mulch

Microplastics were found in salt-affected agricultural soils in northeast China at abundances ranging across mulched and unmulched fields, with MPs affecting soil nutrient content and quality in ways that could influence food production in this important agricultural region.

2024 Environmental Research 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluation of soil fertility status in the Kyoga Basin of Uganda: A physio-chemical study in Buyende and Serere districts

This paper is not about microplastics — it assesses soil nutrient levels (pH, nitrogen, phosphorus, organic matter) in agricultural districts of Uganda to guide farming practices.

2023 African Journal of Agricultural Research 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Determination and Quantification of Microplastics in Grasslands for Feed and Possible Impacts on Livestock

Researchers measured microplastic contamination in both soil and forage grass from four grassland feed sites in Indonesia, finding that grass samples contained more microplastics (160–260 items/kg) than soils (70–170 items/kg), with polyethylene fibers dominating, raising concerns about livestock exposure through feed.

2025 Environmental Quality Management 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of Different Microplastics on Soil Evaporation Rates: A Comparative Analysis Across Chernozem, Umbrisol, and Luvisol

Researchers assessed the effects of high-density polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, and polystyrene microplastics at 5% w/w concentration on evaporation rates, dry bulk density, and saturated water content across three soil types (Chernozem, Umbrisol, and Luvisol), finding that all three polymer types significantly altered soil physical properties in ways that varied by both polymer type and soil classification.

2024 Land 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on soil physical, chemical and biological properties

This review examines how microplastics affect soil health, covering their impact on the physical structure, chemical composition, and biological communities of soil ecosystems. Microplastics can alter soil water retention, change nutrient cycling, and harm soil organisms from earthworms to microbes. Since agricultural soils are a major reservoir of microplastics, these changes could affect crop growth and food quality, creating an indirect pathway for microplastic-related harm to human health.

2024 Natural Hazards Research 32 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

Peer Review #1 of "An investigation into the response of the soil ecological environment to tourist disturbance in Baligou (v0.1)"

This paper is not about microplastics; it is a peer review of a study examining how tourist activity affects soil quality (bulk density, pH, enzyme activity, heavy metals) in a Chinese wetland scenic area.

2023
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in agricultural soils : effects on physical, chemical, and microbiological processes

This thesis examines how pristine and degraded conventional microplastics (polyethylene and PET) and biodegradable microplastics (PBAT) affect soil physical, chemical, and microbial properties across silty loam and sandy loam soils, integrating five studies involving greenhouse and laboratory experiments to assess impacts on aggregation, water-holding capacity, carbon storage, respiration, nutrient cycling, and microbial community composition.

2025
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Can Change Soil Properties and Affect Plant Performance

Researchers tested six different types of microplastics in soil and found that they altered key soil properties including water-holding capacity, bulk density, and microbial activity. These changes in soil structure had cascading effects on plant growth, with some microplastic types reducing above-ground biomass. The study demonstrates that microplastics can fundamentally change how soil functions, with consequences for plant health and ecosystem stability.

2019 Environmental Science & Technology 1910 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Macro- and micro-plastics change soil physical properties: a systematic review

This systematic review examines how plastic particles — both large and microscopic — change important soil properties like water retention, density, and structure. These changes can affect how well soil supports plant growth and produces food, raising concerns about the long-term impact of plastic pollution on agriculture.

2023 Environmental Research Letters 22 citations
Article Tier 2

The effect of microplastics on the variability of functional parameters of available water in loessial soils

Researchers examined how different weights of microplastics affect water holding capacity and other functional water parameters in loessial soils of varying textures, finding that soil microplastic content alters water availability in ways relevant to sustainable soil ecosystem management.

2025 IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science
Article Tier 2

Effects of Different Landscape Greening Pest Control Modes on Carbon Storage and Soil Physicochemical Properties

This paper is not relevant to microplastics research; it examines how different pest control methods used in urban landscape greening affect soil carbon storage and physicochemical properties in Beijing, with no connection to plastic pollution.

2024 Forests 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Can Microplastic Pollution Change Soil-Water Dynamics? Results from Controlled Laboratory Experiments

Researchers conducted controlled laboratory experiments examining how microplastic shape and concentration affect soil water-holding capacity and evaporation in fine sand, finding through statistical and non-parametric analyses that microplastic pollution at environmentally relevant concentrations significantly altered both hydrological parameters.

2022 Water 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Changes in Soil Properties Under the Influence of Microplastics in Plastic and Open Field Production in Three Serbian Valleys

Researchers examined soil physical, chemical, and biological properties in greenhouse and open-field soils across three Serbian valleys to test whether mulch film use leads to microplastic accumulation and soil alteration. Greenhouse soils showed elevated MP concentrations that correlated with changes in chemical and biological parameters, supporting the hypothesis that repeated plastic mulch use degrades soil quality.

2025 Horticulturae 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Determinants of environmental changes in human-modified ecosystems: Effects of plastics on moisture gradients, nutrients, and clay properties

Researchers examined how plastic pollution affects soil properties in human-modified ecosystems through field experiments in China and Rwanda, combined with laboratory tests on clay mixed with PET microplastics. They found that microplastics altered the structural properties of natural clay, decreasing moisture content while increasing density and load-bearing capacity. The study suggests that plastic accumulation in soils can fundamentally change moisture gradients, nutrient availability, and physical soil characteristics.

2024 Heliyon 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Specific response of soil properties to microplastics pollution: A review

This review summarizes how microplastic pollution changes the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soil. Microplastics can alter soil structure, water retention, and nutrient cycling, and they also affect the communities of microorganisms that keep soil healthy. Since contaminated soil grows our food, these changes could indirectly affect human health through the food supply.

2023 Environmental Research 64 citations
Article Tier 2

Soil Physico-chemical Properties in a Selectively Logged Forest at Gunung Rara Forest Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia

This paper is not relevant to microplastics research — it examines how different logging methods (supervised versus conventional) affect soil physical and chemical properties in a tropical rainforest reserve in Malaysia.

2023 Journal of Sustainability Science and Management 1 citations