Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Pollution in Andisol: Effects on Soil Microbiology, Nitrogen Cycling, and Raphanus sativus L. Growth

Researchers assessed how polyamide, LDPE, and polypropylene microplastics affect Andisol soil properties and radish growth, finding microplastics reduced soil nitrogen cycling, disrupted microbial communities, and induced oxidative stress in plants — with effects varying by polymer type.

2025 Soil Use and Management
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
Article Tier 2

Microplastics’ impact on soil health and quality: Effect of incubation time and soil properties in soil fertility and pollution extent under the circular economy concept

A pot experiment with two Greek soils found that polyethylene and PET microplastics at 4% w/v concentrations altered soil nutrient levels, potentially toxic elements, and health indicators over 120 days, with biodegradation and soil pH influencing the effects.

2024 Waste Management & Research The Journal for a Sustainable Circular Economy 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics effects on wettability, pore sizes and saturated hydraulic conductivity of a loess topsoil

Researchers tested how polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polystyrene microplastics at concentrations already found in farmland soils affect key physical properties of agricultural soil. They found that adding microplastics reduced the soil's ability to conduct water and hold moisture, with larger particles at higher concentrations causing the greatest changes. The study suggests that microplastic accumulation in agricultural soils could alter water movement and availability in ways that may affect crop growth.

2023 Geoderma 65 citations
Article Tier 2

Size and concentration-dependent effects of polyethylene microplastics on soil chemistry in a microcosm study

Researchers tested how polyethylene microplastics of different sizes and concentrations affect soil chemistry in a controlled lab setting. They found that the smallest microplastic particles reduced the soil's ability to hold nutrients by nearly 13% and altered dissolved organic matter, while also leaching phthalate chemicals into the soil. The study suggests that as microplastics accumulate in agricultural soils, they could impair important soil functions related to nutrient retention and pollutant movement.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 3 citations
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

Effects of low‐density polyethylene and polyamide microplastics on the microbiological and chemical characteristics of an Andisol

This study evaluated the impact of low-density polyethylene and polyamide microplastics on the biological and chemical characteristics of a volcanic ash-derived Andisol soil from central Chile, assessing 21 soil parameters across microplastic treatments.

2023 Soil Use and Management 17 citations
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

Effects of microplastics on soil environment and land plant growth: a review

This review examines how microplastics affect soil quality and plant growth through both direct toxicity and indirect changes to soil properties. Researchers found that microplastics can accumulate in plant tissues after entering the soil and may transfer through the food chain. The study highlights that soil microplastic contamination is a growing ecological concern that remains understudied compared to marine environments.

2025 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent advances on ecological effects of microplastics on soil environment

This review summarizes recent advances in understanding the ecological effects of microplastics on soil environments. Researchers found that soils serve as major sinks for microplastics, which can alter soil properties, affect plant growth, disrupt soil microbial communities, and interact with other pollutants. The study highlights that terrestrial microplastic pollution may be even more pervasive than aquatic contamination and warrants greater research attention.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 322 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic shape, concentration and polymer type affect soil properties and plant biomass

Experiments showed that microplastic shape, concentration, and polymer type all influence soil physical properties and plant biomass, with certain types reducing plant growth. The findings highlight that the wide variety of plastic particle types entering soils creates complex and variable ecological risks.

2020 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Contamination in Agricultural Soils: Impacts on soil properties and plant performance

This review synthesized research on microplastic contamination in agricultural soils, examining how MPs affect soil physical properties, chemistry, and plant growth performance. It identified key knowledge gaps around MP accumulation rates, long-term soil effects, and impacts on food crop yields.

2025 University of Southern Queensland research data collection
Article Tier 2

The extent and impacts of soil pollution by microplastics

This study examines the extent and impacts of soil pollution by microplastics, reviewing evidence of how microplastic particles accumulate in terrestrial environments and affect soil ecosystems, organisms, and agricultural systems.

2024 SPIRE - Sciences Po Institutional REpository
Article Tier 2

Micro (nano) plastic pollution: The ecological influence on soil-plant system and human health.

This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics affect soil health, plant growth, and food quality, finding that these particles accumulate in plant root systems and can reduce crop yields and alter nutritional content. Since contaminated soil and water are increasingly delivering microplastics to food crops, these findings are directly relevant to agricultural food safety.

2021 The Science of the total environment
Article Tier 2

Microplastic contamination in soil environment – a review

This review examines the sources, transport, degradation, and ecological impacts of microplastic contamination in soil environments. The study suggests that soil acts as both a major sink for microplastics and a conduit transporting them to aquatic systems, and that microplastics can negatively affect soil organisms and biogeochemistry, underscoring the need for more research on terrestrial microplastic pollution.

2021 Soil Science Annual 95 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

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 microplastics types and size on soil properties and cadmium adsorption in paddy soil after one rice season

Researchers grew rice in paddy soil amended with polyethylene, polyacrylonitrile, and PET microplastics of varying sizes and found that microplastic type and particle size significantly altered soil properties and cadmium adsorption capacity, with smaller particles generally having greater effects.

2022 Resources Environment and Sustainability 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Tiny pollutants, big consequences: investigating the influence of nano- and microplastics on soil properties and plant health with mitigation strategies

Researchers reviewed the impact of nanoplastics and microplastics on soil properties and plant health, examining absorption and translocation mechanisms in plants. The study suggests that plastic particles alter soil structure and microbial communities, impair plant growth and nutrient uptake, and proposes mitigation strategies to address these emerging threats to agricultural ecosystems.

2025 Environmental Science Processes & Impacts 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic-contamination can reshape plant community by affecting soil properties

Researchers investigated how polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics affect naturally germinated plant communities by altering soil properties. The study found that microplastics changed soil nutrient availability, decreased community stability, and shifted plant species composition, with total phosphorus identified as the strongest driver of changes in plant community structure.

2024 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Impacts of Nano- and Microplastic Contamination on Soil Organisms and Soil–Plant Systems

Nano- and microplastic contamination was found to negatively affect soil organic matter dynamics and the activity of soil organisms. The research adds to growing evidence that plastic particles impair the biological processes that maintain soil health and fertility.

2025 Microplastics 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro Plastic Pollution in Soil Environment: A Comprehensive Review

This comprehensive review covers sources, distribution, degradation pathways, and ecological effects of microplastics in soil environments, highlighting threats to soil fauna, microbiota, and plant growth.

2024 Journal of Scientific Research and Reports 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Legacy effect of microplastics on plant–soil feedbacks

Researchers examined the legacy effects of microplastic contamination on plant-soil feedbacks using soil previously conditioned with various microplastic types, finding that residual microplastics altered soil microbial communities and nutrient cycling in ways that affected subsequent plant growth.

2022 Frontiers in Plant Science 32 citations
Article Tier 2

A global review on the abundance and threats of microplastics in soils to terrestrial ecosystem and human health

This review examines microplastic pollution levels across agricultural, roadside, urban, and landfill soils worldwide, finding wide variation but consistent contamination. Microplastics alter soil pH, density, and water movement, disrupt microbial communities, inhibit plant growth, and affect soil animals. For humans, the concern is that microplastics in soil can enter the food chain through crops and contaminated water.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 64 citations