Papers

61,005 results
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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

Role of Humic Substances in the (Bio)Degradation of Synthetic Polymers under Environmental Conditions

This review examines the role of humic substances -- major components of soil organic matter -- in the degradation of synthetic polymers under environmental conditions. The authors discuss how humic substances mediate chemical and biological breakdown of plastics, influencing the formation and persistence of microplastics in soils and aquatic systems.

2024 Microorganisms 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Response of soil dissolved organic matter to microplastic addition in Chinese loess soil

Researchers added microplastics to loess soil at two concentrations and tracked dissolved organic matter over 30 days, finding that even moderate additions altered the rate of organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus release, stimulated soil enzyme activity, and promoted accumulation of high-molecular-weight humic compounds — suggesting microplastic pollution reshapes soil nutrient cycling.

2017 Chemosphere 864 citations
Article Tier 2

Characteristics and Driving Mechanism of Soil Organic Carbon Content in Farmland of Beijing Plain: Implication for the Fate of Engineered Polymers in Soil

This study examined how soil organic matter affects the transport of ions and particles in agricultural soils, relevant to understanding how microplastics interact with soil chemistry. Soil organic carbon content significantly influenced the mobility of contaminants through soil systems.

2019 Advances in Polymer Technology 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Interaction of biosolids-derived dissolved organic matter with microplastics: EEM analysis

Researchers used excitation-emission matrix fluorescence analysis to investigate interactions between biosolids-derived dissolved organic matter and microplastics in agricultural soils, addressing the knowledge gap created by prior studies relying on commercial humic acids rather than polydisperse DOM from real organic amendments.

2024
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Accumulation in Agricultural Soils with Different Mulching Histories in Xinjiang, China

Researchers found that microplastic accumulation in agricultural soils of Xinjiang, China increases significantly with mulching history, with fields mulched for over 20 years containing substantially more microplastics across all soil layers.

2023 Sustainability 37 citations
Article Tier 2

Distribution and weathering characteristics of microplastics in paddy soils following long-term mulching: A field study in Southwest China

Researchers investigated microplastic distribution in paddy soils following long-term plastic film mulching in Southwest China, finding that ten years of continuous mulching significantly increased filmy microplastic accumulation and that weathering altered the chemical properties of these particles.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 97 citations
Article Tier 2

The microplastics distribution characteristics and their impact on soil physicochemical properties and bacterial communities in food legumes farmland in northern China

Researchers surveyed farmland soil across five provinces in northern China and found microplastic contamination ranging from 1,600 to over 36,000 particles per kilogram of soil. Most of the microplastics were small fibers and fragments, primarily from agricultural plastic film and organic fertilizer use. The study found that microplastic presence altered soil properties and shifted bacterial community composition, suggesting these particles may affect soil health in food-growing regions.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Potential sources and occurrence of macro-plastics and microplastics pollution in farmland soils: A typical case of China

This review examines plastic pollution in Chinese farmland soils, finding that agricultural practices like mulch film use and sewage sludge application are major sources of both macro- and microplastics that accumulate over time.

2023 Figshare
Article Tier 2

The long-term effects of microplastics on soil organomineral complexes and bacterial communities from controlled-release fertilizer residual coating

After a 10-year field experiment with controlled-release fertilizer application in China, residual plastic coating microplastics were found in soil at levels that altered soil organomineral complexes and bacterial community structure, raising sustainability concerns about this widely used agricultural technology.

2021 Journal of Environmental Management 63 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence and distribution of microplastics in organic fertilizers in China

Researchers surveyed microplastic contamination in organic fertilizers across China, finding widespread plastic particles in compost, manure, and biosolids, identifying fertilizer application as an emerging pathway for microplastic accumulation in agricultural soils.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 129 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessing the Impact of Soil Humic Substances, Textural Fractions on the Sorption of Heavy Metals (Cd, Pb)

Researchers assessed how soil humic substances and textural fractions influence the sorption of cadmium and lead in different Slovak soil types. The study found that the type and quantity of humic materials significantly affect heavy metal retention, which is relevant to understanding how contaminants interact with soil-bound microplastics.

2024 Applied Sciences 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Exploring the Occurrence Characteristics of Microplastics in Typical Maize Farmland Soils With Long-Term Plastic Film Mulching in Northern China

A survey of 225 soil samples from maize farmland with long-term plastic film mulching in northern China found widespread microplastic contamination, with abundance, distribution, and polymer composition reflecting the history of film use and agricultural management practices.

2021 Frontiers in Marine Science 76 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic leachates in farmland: impact of acid rain on DOM characteristics and metal release

Researchers investigated how varying acid rain conditions affect the leaching of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and heavy metals from microplastics commonly found in agricultural soils, characterizing leachate physicochemical properties and three-dimensional fluorescence profiles and finding that acid rain intensity significantly altered contaminant release patterns.

2025 Environmental Science Processes & Impacts
Article Tier 2

Transport and deposition behaviors of microplastics in porous media: Co-impacts of N fertilizers and humic acid

Inorganic and organic nitrogen fertilizers and humic acid were found to influence the transport and deposition of microplastics in porous media, with humic acid promoting microplastic mobility while ammonium chloride and urea had different effects on particle retention in soil columns.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 65 citations
Article Tier 2

Differential responses of humic acid in different soil aggregates under microplastic stress

This study examined how different concentrations of microplastics affect humic acid structure and electron transfer capacity in soil aggregates of varying sizes. High MP concentrations altered humic substance composition and reduced their electrochemical activity, suggesting MPs can disrupt soil organic matter function at elevated contamination levels.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials
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

Spatial distribution of microplastics in Mollisols of the farmland in Northeast China: the role of field management and plastic sources

Researchers investigated how farmland management practices affect the distribution of microplastics in vegetable fields in Northeast China. They found seven types of plastic polymers in soil layers down to 30 centimeters, with larger macroplastic fragments being the primary source of microplastic contamination. Higher fertilization doses contributed more to microplastic generation than tillage frequency.

2025 Geoderma 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Towards quality-assured measurements of microplastics in soils using fluorescence microscopy

Researchers applied fluorescence microscopy with Nile Red staining to detect and measure microplastic particles in soil samples and validated the method across eight plastic types and a range of soil types. The method performed well when adapted to account for soil matrix effects. Validated fluorescence microscopy protocols make microplastic analysis in agricultural and environmental soils more accessible and standardized.

2023 1 citations
Article Tier 2

The addition of humic acid into soil contaminated with microplastics enhanced the growth of black gram (Vigna mungo L. Hepper) and modified the rhizosphere microbial community

A pot experiment found that microplastic-contaminated soil reduced germination, chlorophyll production, and beneficial root bacteria in black gram (a legume), but that adding humic acid to the contaminated soil largely reversed these negative effects. The finding suggests that humic acid soil amendments could serve as a practical and affordable tool to protect crop productivity in agricultural soils that are already contaminated with microplastics.

2024 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Abundance and characteristics of microplastics in soils with different agricultural practices: Importance of sources with internal origin and environmental fate

Microplastic abundance and characteristics were examined in soils representing four agricultural practice types in Chinese farmland to evaluate the influence of land use on plastic particle accumulation. Microplastic concentrations and polymer types varied by agricultural practice, with plastic mulch film use and irrigation water source as key drivers of farmland soil contamination.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 282 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

Characteristics of microplastics in dryland soils after long‐term film mulching and the effect of cropping type in western Liaoning Province, China

Fields in a semi-arid region of China that had been covered with agricultural plastic film for over a decade showed significant microplastic accumulation in the soil, with fragment shapes dominating and concentrations varying by crop type. Different crops influenced both the abundance and characteristics of microplastic particles, likely due to differences in tillage, root activity, and film use patterns. This study adds to growing evidence that agricultural plastic mulching is a major driver of farmland microplastic pollution with potential consequences for soil health and crop safety.

2023 Land Degradation and Development 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Duration- and area-dependent influences of plastic film mulch on soil microplastics abundance

Researchers conducted a field campaign combined with remote sensing to investigate how the duration and coverage area of plastic film mulching affect microplastic abundance in agricultural soils in northern China's agro-pastoral ecotone, finding that microplastic concentrations ranged from 41.7 to 787.5 items per kilogram and positively correlated with mulching duration.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials