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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Organosilanized Hydrophobic Sand for Drought Resilience: Reducing Water Percolation and Enhancing Crop Growth Conditions
ClearSeed-Encapsulation of Desiccation-Tolerant Microorganisms for the Protection of Maize from Drought: Phenotyping Effects of a New Dry Bioformulation
Researchers developed a dry seed coating using desiccation-tolerant microorganisms to help maize crops survive drought conditions. This biological approach could improve crop resilience to water stress without relying on chemical inputs.
Anthropogenic Factors Affecting Soil Water Repellency: Comparative Analysis of Fire Events, Microplastic Pollution, and Soil Amendment
Researchers compared how three anthropogenic factors — fire, high-density polyethylene microplastic pollution at 5% w/w, and hydrophobic biochar amendment at 1% w/w — affect soil water repellency in sandy soils, measuring contact angles to quantify how each treatment increases water infiltration resistance.
Polymeric Hydrogelsin Agriculture: EnvironmentalPerformance, Sustainability Challenges, and Future Perspectives
This review examines polymeric hydrogels as soil amendments for climate-smart agriculture, finding that these cross-linked water-swelling networks can improve soil moisture retention, reduce irrigation frequency, and enhance fertilizer utilization, while also addressing environmental persistence and degradation challenges.
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.
Fate and transport of nanoplastics in complex natural aquifer media: Effect of particle size and surface functionalization
Researchers used batch and column experiments in a natural sandy aquifer to show that nanoplastic transport is governed primarily by organic matter coatings rather than particle size or surface chemistry alone, with suspended organic matter increasing mobility while dissolved organic matter reduces it — findings that improve predictions of nanoplastic contamination in agricultural groundwater systems.
Microplastic induces soil water repellency and limits capillary flow
Laboratory experiments showed that microplastics mixed with sandy soil induced water repellency and reduced capillary water flow, with the magnitude of the effect depending on MP content and the relative sizes of MP and soil particles. The findings suggest that microplastic accumulation in soil can impair water infiltration and potentially disrupt plant-available water in agricultural soils.
Development and characterization of a carboxymethyl cellulose-alginate hybrid superabsorbent hydrogel designed for water management in agriculture
Researchers formulated a carboxymethyl cellulose and sodium alginate hydrogel for agricultural water retention, optimizing it to absorb over 1,600 times its weight in water while remaining thermally stable and reusable — offering a bio-based alternative to synthetic superabsorbent polymers that contribute to microplastic pollution in farmland soils.
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.
Spectroscopic investigations to reveal synergy between polystyrene waste and paraffin wax in super-hydrophobic sand
Researchers found that adding small amounts of polystyrene plastic waste to paraffin-coated sand significantly improved the sand's water-repelling properties, making it more effective for fighting land desertification. Spectroscopic analysis revealed that polystyrene changes the molecular structure of the coating in ways that enhance and stabilize hydrophobicity, suggesting a potential use for plastic waste in desert management.
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.
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 particle size and oxide phase on microplastic transport through iron oxide-coated sand
Researchers studied how different types of iron oxide coatings on sand affect the movement of polystyrene microplastics through soil. They found that magnetite-coated sand retained the most microplastics, while goethite-coated sand retained the least, with results matching theoretical predictions. The findings suggest that naturally iron-rich soils could serve as effective barriers to prevent microplastic transport through groundwater systems.
Impacts of Biochar Pyrolysis Temperature, Particle Size, and Application Rate on Water Retention of Loess in the Semiarid Region
Researchers studied how corn straw biochar properties and application rates affect water retention in semiarid loess soil. They found that while pyrolysis temperature had no significant effect, larger biochar particle sizes improved water absorption, and all biochar treatments increased soil porosity and field water capacity while reducing bulk density. The study demonstrates that biochar amendments can meaningfully improve soil water retention in drought-prone agricultural regions.
Soil water repellency of two disturbed soils contaminated with different agricultural microplastics tested under controlled laboratory conditions
Researchers measured soil water repellency in two disturbed soils contaminated with different types of agricultural plastics (film mulch and drip irrigation residues), finding that microplastics altered water infiltration behavior. Plastic contamination reduced soil wettability, potentially impairing plant water uptake.
Assessing Microplastic-Induced Changes in Sandy Soil Properties and Crop Growth
Adding three types of microplastics (HDPE, PVC, polystyrene) at 5% by weight to sandy soil increased water repellency and reduced hydraulic conductivity, but did not significantly affect the total biomass or photosynthesis efficiency of radishes grown in that soil. However, microplastic contamination did reduce copper, magnesium, and iron concentrations in crop tissue for some polymer types. The results suggest that sandy soils may be particularly prone to microplastic-induced hydrological changes, with subtle effects on crop mineral nutrition that could matter at larger scales.
Effects of Environmentally Relevant Microplastic and Nanoplastic Concentrations on Soil Hydro-Physical Properties: A Global Meta-Analysis
This global meta-analysis found that microplastics and nanoplastics in soil reduce its ability to hold water and maintain healthy structure. These changes to soil properties could affect crop growth and water cycling in agricultural areas, with fiber-shaped plastics causing the most disruption.
Contrasting transport and fate of hydrophilic and hydrophobic bacteria in wettable and water-repellent porous media: Straining or attachment?
This paper is not about microplastics; it studies how bacterial hydrophobicity affects transport and retention in soil under different water conditions.
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.
Polymeric Hydrogels in Agriculture: Environmental Performance, Sustainability Challenges, and Future Perspectives
A review assessed the environmental performance and degradation behavior of polymeric hydrogels used in agriculture as soil moisture-retaining agents. The study raises concerns about whether these materials break down safely or contribute to microplastic accumulation in farmland soils.
Significance of biopolymer-based hydrogels and their applications in agriculture: a review in perspective of synthesis and their degree of swelling for water holding
Researchers reviewed the development and agricultural applications of hydrogels made from natural biopolymers, which are biodegradable alternatives to synthetic plastics. These hydrogels can retain large amounts of water and deliver nutrients or active compounds to soil in a controlled way. The study suggests that biopolymer hydrogels could help improve crop yields while reducing the environmental burden of synthetic plastic materials in agriculture.
Quartz sand surface-bound rice root exudates decreased the transport of microplastics in porous media
Researchers investigated how rice root exudates bound to quartz sand surfaces affect the transport of microplastics through soil, finding that root exudate coatings on sand grains significantly reduced microplastic mobility. The results suggest plant root activity shapes microplastic fate and transport in agricultural soils.
Effects of plastic fragments on plant performance are mediated by soil properties and drought
Researchers found that plastic fragments reduced soil water content and negatively affected Arabidopsis thaliana growth, with effects most pronounced under drought conditions and dependent on soil texture, suggesting plastic pollution and water stress interact to compound harm to plants.
Microplastics Have Widely Varying Effects on Soil
Researchers found that microplastic concentrations as low as 0.4% alter soil drainage, with potential downstream consequences for crop growth and plant productivity.
A comparative study of microplastics under the influence of soil-typical eco-coronas through laboratory and field incubation experiments
Researchers compared microplastic behavior under laboratory and field incubation conditions when eco-coronas — natural surface coatings of organic matter, proteins, and humic acids — were present on particles, assessing how these coatings modify microplastic hydrophobicity, transport, and toxicity to soil organisms.