2021, 58(2):314-330.
DOI: 10.11766/trxb202009190526
Abstract:
In recent years, after the issue of microplastics (MPs) pollution in ocean has aroused extensive global concerns, environmental risks associated with MPs in the terrestrial ecosystems are gradually attracting the eyesight of the world environmentalists, and consequently a lot of researches have been done exploring effects of MPs on soil ecological environments with gratifying progresses. This article is trying to make a comprehensive review and summary of recent advances in the research on MPs in the agroecosystem, with focus on MPs in the farmland in relation to their source, environmental behaviors, analysis methodology, impacts on the environment and ecosystem, and directions of future researches. So in the first place, it described the current status of global MP pollution, as well as their concentrations and distribution in agricultural soils, discussed potential sources of MPs and their contributions to MPs accumulation in farmlands, and then introduced sample preparation methods, especially soil sampling strategy and extraction of soil-borne MPs. Furthermore, the paper went on addressing the issues of MPs environmental behaviors in the agricultural ecosystems, such as migration, weathering, interactions with other pollutants and their fates, and the environmental impacts and ecological risks, especially potential challenges to soil health and food security, they might bright about. In the end, the paper listed the current preventive measures for control of MPs contamination with an argument on their potential contributions to prevention of the agricultural MPs pollution. This comprehensive review holds that MPs come into the farmland from multiple sources, with solid plastic wastes, like plastic mulching film, being one of the major contributors. Once entering the soil, under external disturbance or driving forces, including physical, chemical, biological factors, they accumulate, migrate and weather at a varying scale, creating significant ecological impacts on the soil environment, and even on physicochemical properties of the soil, microbial communities, soil biota, and plant growth, thus damaging soil health, and affecting agricultural production and quality of the produce. Besides, MPs pollution, especially that of nanoplastics, is posing a potential threat to human health via the food chain. Plastics in the soil may be fragmented biologically and subjected to slow biodegradation. Considering the ubiquitous distribution, persistence and ecological risks of MPs in the environment, the paper put forth some relevant suggestions for the decision-makers of the country in their efforts to control the problem, while citing as reference the MPs pollution prevention strategies of some other countries.