The development of civilization has always brought challenges that needed to be overcome to ensure the survival of communities. The need for a reliable food source has driven progress, from the establishment of the first cultivated crops around 9000 BCE to the continual refinement of agricultural techniques over millennia. The Industrial Revolution marked a turning point, significantly improving human living standards and introducing innovations such as the first tractor in 1892. Not long after, another product of industrial advancement—plastic—would forever change human life, bringing both convenience and unintended environmental consequences. Plastic quickly found its way into all aspects of human activity, including agriculture, where, alongside motorized equipment, it played a major role in increasing both the quality and quantity of cultivated crops. Thanks to its resistance to environmental conditions, affordability, ease of use, and versatility, plastic became an essential component of modern agriculture. Plastic mulch films, greenhouse covers, and crop protection sheets are now common sights in fields, providing physical protection for young plants, suppressing weeds, and maintaining optimal soil temperature for seed germination. Nylon twine is widely used for tying plant stalks, securing silage, and bundling hay bales, which are then further wrapped in plastic. Most irrigation systems rely on PVC pipes and other plastic polymers such as polyamides. Fertilization methods increasingly incorporate slow-release plastic-coated fertilizers, ensuring a controlled nutrient supply over time. Even seeds are often encapsulated in plastic coatings containing pesticides, offering continuous protection as they germinate. (Kumar et al., 2020),(Accinelli et al., 2019)
However, these very same practices are now a major source of microplastic pollution in agricultural soil. Prolonged exposure to sunlight causes plastic materials in fields to start falling apart through photodegradation, breaking down the polymer chains. Rain, wind, and other physical forces further fragment these weakened plastics into smaller and smaller particles, which then become embedded in the soil. Once present, these microplastic particles are plowed deeper into the earth, transported by surface runoff and groundwater, or ingested by animals mistaking them for food. Additional sources of microplastic pollution in agriculture include irrigation water, organic fertilizers, and manure applied to the soil. A significant contribution also comes from the wear and tear of vehicle tires used for fieldwork, shedding tiny plastic fragments that mix with the soil. These microplastic particles alter soil fertility and microbial activity, disrupt biochemical processes, hinder plant and worm growth, and introduce harmful chemicals originally added to the plastic for durability and flexibility. (Glaser, 2019), (Qiu et al., 2022)
Thus, in our pursuit of improving agricultural efficiency, streamlining techniques, and boosting productivity, we have created a new environmental problem—one that inevitably impacts us as well. This underscores the urgent need for a comprehensive understanding of material properties and their potential ecological effects before large-scale implementation. Research on microplastics in the environment consistently points to one key solution: reducing plastic use to eliminate further sources of contamination. However, for the microplastic particles already present due to human activities, we may once again have to turn to nature—seeking microorganisms capable of breaking down synthetic polymers as a source of nourishment.
Literature:
Accinelli, C., Abbas, H. K., Shier, W. T., Vicari, A., Little, N. S., Aloise, M. R., & Giacomini, S. (2019). Degradation of microplastic seed film-coating fragments in soil. Chemosphere, 226, 645–650. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.03.161
Glaser, J. A. (2019). Biological Degradation of Polymers in the Environment. In book: Plastics in the Environment. IntechOpen, tourism, 13. ttp://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.85124
Kumar, M., Xiong, X., He, M., Tsang, D. C. W., Gupta, J., Khan, E., Harrad, S., Hou, D., Ok, Y. S., & Bolan, N. S. (2020). Microplastics as pollutants in agricultural soils. Environmental Pollution, 265, 114980. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114980
Qiu, Y., Zhou, S., Zhang, C., Zhou, Y., & Qin, W. (2022). Soil microplastic characteristics and the effects on soil properties and biota: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Environmental Pollution, 313(June), 120183. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2022.120183
