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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Microplastics Have Widely Varying Effects on Soil
ClearMicroplastics 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.
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.
Potential impacts of microplastic pollution on soil–water–plant dynamics
Researchers tested how different shapes and sizes of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) microplastics affect a soil's ability to hold water, finding that fragment-shaped microplastics increased water retention by up to 36% — a significant change that could alter water availability for crops and affect agricultural planning in contaminated soils.
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.
Effect of microplastics used in agronomic practices on agricultural soil properties and plant functions: Potential contribution to the circular economy of rural areas
Researchers measured the effects of microplastics used in common agricultural practices — including mulch film residues and irrigation-delivered particles — on soil physical, chemical, and biological properties. Microplastic presence altered soil aggregation, water retention, and microbial community composition, with effects depending on plastic concentration, polymer type, and soil texture.
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.
Effects of microplastics on soil microbiome: The impacts of polymer type, shape, and concentration
Researchers examined how different microplastic polymer types, shapes, and concentrations affected soil bacterial communities, finding that these physical characteristics induced distinct shifts in soil microbiome composition and diversity.
Disentangling microplastics effects on soil structure, microbial activity and greenhouse gas emissions
Researchers studied how microplastics affect soil structure, microbial activity, and greenhouse gas emissions, finding complex interactions that depend on microplastic type and concentration. The presence of microplastics in soils can alter the biological processes that regulate carbon storage and nutrient cycling.
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.
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.
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.
Effects of microplastic pollution on agricultural soil and crops based on a global meta‐analysis
This meta-analysis examined data from studies worldwide to assess how microplastic pollution affects agricultural soil and crops. Researchers found that microplastics can alter soil properties including enzyme activity and nutrient availability, with effects varying by plastic type, concentration, and size. The study suggests that microplastic contamination in farmland may affect both soil health and crop growth in ways that depend heavily on local conditions.
Effect of Polypropylene Microplastic on Soil Water Characteristic Curve
Researchers experimentally measured the effect of polypropylene microplastics of varying sizes and concentrations on the soil water characteristic curve of silty sand, finding that microplastic addition alters soil pore structure in ways that modify water retention and drainage behavior with implications for agricultural productivity.
The effects of microplastics on crop variation depend on polymer types and their interactions with soil nutrient availability and weed competition
Researchers investigated how different types of microplastics interact with soil nutrient availability and weed competition to affect crop growth. The study found that the effects of microplastics on plant performance depend on the polymer type and are modulated by fertilization levels and competition from weeds, suggesting that real-world agricultural impacts of microplastic pollution may be more complex than laboratory studies indicate.
Concentration‐ and Size‐Dependent Influences of Microplastics on Soil Hydraulic Properties and Water Flow
Researchers investigated how microplastic concentration and particle size affect soil hydraulic properties and water flow. They found that microplastic contamination reduced saturated conductivity by up to 50% and inhibited water infiltration, with higher concentrations and larger particle sizes leading to weaker soil water-holding capacity.
The role of microplastic pollution in the modification of the physicochemical properties of arable soil and uptake of potential toxic elements by plants
Researchers conducted a series of studies analyzing how microplastic pollution modifies the physicochemical properties of arable soil and affects the uptake of potentially toxic heavy metals by plants, beginning with a comprehensive literature review of microplastic interactions with plant physiology, metals, pesticides, and pathogens.
Microplastic residues in wetland ecosystems: Do they truly threaten the plant-microbe-soil system?
Researchers used a controlled pot experiment to assess microplastic effects on wetland plant growth, soil microbial communities, and nutrient cycling, finding that MPs altered soil enzyme activity and shifted bacterial community composition but had variable effects on plant growth depending on plastic type.
The influence of microplastics on the dry end of the soil-water retention curve
Researchers measured how adding microplastics to soil affects the soil-water retention curve beyond the wilting point — the level at which plants can no longer extract water. Different microplastic types affected water retention differently depending on their surface properties and shape. These changes in soil water dynamics could affect plant available water and agricultural productivity in microplastic-contaminated soils.
Microplastics affect C, N, and P cycling in natural environments: Highlighting the driver of soil hydraulic properties
This study found that common microplastics like polyethylene and polypropylene significantly change how soil handles water and nutrients by increasing water content, reducing soil density, and altering bacterial communities involved in nitrogen and carbon cycling. These changes affected how nutrients are stored in soil, with increases of 12 to 93 percent in nitrogen and carbon storage depending on the plastic type and amount. The findings suggest microplastic pollution could disrupt the fundamental soil processes that support food production.
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.
Effects of microplastics on the hydraulic properties and pore characteristics of compacted soil
Researchers investigated how polyethylene microplastics affect the hydraulic properties and pore structure of compacted soil, finding that higher microplastic concentrations disrupted pore size distribution and reduced saturated hydraulic conductivity while altering water retention capacity.
Critical thresholds in soil physical properties driven by microplastics
Researchers reanalyzed published data on microplastic effects on soil physical properties using piecewise statistical models and identified abrupt threshold responses occurring at concentrations as low as 0.06% by weight — far below levels typically studied — with thresholds varying by polymer type, particle shape, and aging condition.
Research trends of microplastics in the soil environment: Comprehensive screening of effects
Researchers synthesized 106 datasets on microplastic effects on soil parameters, finding that polyethylene pellets and powders dominate experimental designs and that significant effects occurred across broad size ranges, while highlighting gaps in current soil microplastic research.
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.