Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Agricultural Soil: Detection Techniques, Challenges, Limitation and Future Research Direction - a Review

Researchers review the current methods for detecting microplastics in agricultural soil, comparing techniques like spectroscopy and microscopy while highlighting the limitations of each approach, including false negatives and size-detection constraints. Developing faster, more accurate detection tools is critical because microplastics are accumulating in farmland worldwide and their full impact on soil health and food safety remains poorly understood.

2024 Environmental Engineering and Management Journal 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics' Ecotoxicological Assessment and Quantification in the Soil Ecosystem

This review examines the ecotoxicological effects and quantification methods for microplastics in soil ecosystems, synthesizing studies that have detected microplastics in agricultural soils, remote terrestrial environments, and other soil types to assess risks to soil-dwelling organisms.

2025
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: 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

Research Progress on Source Analysis, Ecological Effects, and Separation Technology of Soil Microplastics

This review synthesizes recent progress on soil microplastic sources (primarily agricultural plastic mulch and wastewater irrigation), ecological impacts on soil structure and microbial communities, and available separation and detection technologies for assessing contamination.

2025 Microplastics
Article Tier 2

The Effect of Microplastic Pollution on Soil, Plants and Soil Microbes and Its Remediation

This review summarized evidence for microplastic effects on soil properties, plant growth, soil microbes, and food safety, identifying microplastic pollution as a significant emerging threat to terrestrial ecosystems. The authors also reviewed bioremediation and physical removal strategies as potential remediation approaches.

2022 Egyptian Journal of Soil Science 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on farmland soils and plants: a review

This review synthesized evidence on how microplastics affect farmland soils and crops, examining changes to soil structure, microbial communities, and plant health. The authors document that MPs can enter root systems, alter nutrient uptake, and disrupt soil ecology, with implications for food safety and agricultural productivity.

2025 Plant Soil and Environment
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

Microplastics in soils: A review of methods, occurrence, fate, transport, ecological and environmental risks

This review examines the sources, detection methods, and environmental behavior of microplastics in soils, an area that has received far less attention than marine microplastic pollution. Researchers found that microplastics interact with soil properties and organisms in complex ways, potentially entering the human food chain. The study calls for standardized methods and more research into how these tiny plastic particles move through and affect terrestrial ecosystems.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 465 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

Microplastic pollution in Farmland soils: A review on types, sources, analytical methods, environmental and human health risks

This review synthesizes research on microplastic pollution in farmland soils, covering polymer types, sources from mulch films and sewage sludge, analytical detection methods, and effects on soil ecosystems and crop productivity.

2025 Tanzania Journal of Science
Article Tier 2

A review of microplastics in soil: Occurrence, analytical methods, combined contamination and risks

This review provides a comprehensive overview of microplastic pollution in soil ecosystems, covering sources, detection methods, and ecological impacts. Researchers found that soils are major reservoirs for microplastics, and the study highlights how combined contamination with other pollutants like heavy metals and pesticides may amplify risks to soil organisms and food safety.

2022 Environmental Pollution 75 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
Review Tier 2

Sources, pollution, and ecological impacts of soil microplastics-A review

A comprehensive review summarized the sources, distribution, and ecological impacts of microplastics in soil environments, synthesizing evidence on how plastics affect soil organisms, structure, and agricultural productivity. The review calls for urgent policy action to address soil microplastic contamination as a threat to food security.

2025 Environmental chemistry and safety 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as Emerging Soil Pollutants

This review covers how microplastics enter and accumulate in soils, their effects on soil health, microbial communities, soil fauna, and plant growth, and the implications of widespread soil plastic contamination for ecosystem function.

2024
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

Occurrence and Ecological Impacts of Microplastics in Soil Systems: A Review

This review provides a comprehensive overview of microplastic occurrence and ecological impacts in soil systems, an area that has received less scientific attention than aquatic environments. Researchers summarized how microplastics enter soils through agricultural films, biosolids, and irrigation, and how they affect soil organisms, nutrient cycling, and plant health. The study predicts a rapid increase in soil microplastic research and calls for standardized methods to assess the risks.

2019 Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 351 citations
Review Tier 2

Formation, behavior, properties and impact of micro- and nanoplastics on agricultural soil ecosystems (A Review)

This review provides a comprehensive look at how micro and nanoplastics affect agricultural soil ecosystems, covering their sources, movement through soil, and impacts on soil organisms and crop growth. The authors found that microplastics can alter soil structure, reduce beneficial microbial activity, and affect plant nutrient uptake. These changes to farmland soils could ultimately threaten food security and introduce microplastics into the human food supply.

2023 NanoImpact 55 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics in the soil environment: Analytical methods, occurrence, fate and ecological implications

This review covered analytical methods, occurrence data, environmental fate, and ecotoxicological effects of nanoplastics in soils, finding that nanoplastics can alter soil chemistry, physical structure, and biota in ways that threaten both natural and agricultural ecosystem functions. The authors identify standardization of nanoplastic detection in soil as a critical research gap.

2022 Environmental Pollution 73 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Agricultural Soils: An Emerging Threat to Soil Health, Microbial Ecology, Crop Productivity, and Food Safety

This review examines how microplastics accumulate in agricultural soils from sources like plastic mulch, sewage sludge, and atmospheric deposition. Researchers found that these particles can disrupt soil microbial communities, harm plant health, and potentially enter the human food chain. The study highlights the urgent need for mitigation strategies to address this growing but often overlooked form of pollution in farmland.

2025 International Journal of Plant & Soil Science 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as pollutants in agricultural soils

This review examines how microplastics end up in agricultural soils through sewage sludge application, wastewater irrigation, plastic mulch films, and atmospheric deposition. Researchers found that microplastics interact with soil organisms and can alter soil structure and microbial communities, but standardized detection methods are still lacking. The study highlights the need for research on how microplastics move through soil, their effects on crop health, and global policies to address this growing agricultural concern.

2020 Environmental Pollution 747 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

Microplastics in soil: A review on methods, occurrence, sources, and potential risk

This review summarizes what is known about microplastic contamination in soils worldwide, covering detection methods, sources, and potential risks. Microplastics are found in soils on every continent studied, though research in Africa, South America, and Oceania remains scarce. The review highlights that microplastics accumulate in soil over time and can interact with other pollutants, potentially affecting soil health and the safety of food crops.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 839 citations
Article Tier 2

Environmental fate and impacts of microplastics in soil ecosystems: Progress and perspective

This review summarized knowledge on microplastics in soil environments, covering occurrence across agricultural, industrial, and urban soils, transport pathways, and ecological risks to soil organisms and plant communities. The authors identify key data gaps and methodological challenges that currently limit understanding of microplastic fate and impact in terrestrial systems.

2019 The Science of The Total Environment 509 citations