Microplastics in farmland soils harm earthworms, nematodes and springtails and inhibit plant growth through oxidative stress and additive leaching, with paddy soil concentrations ranging from 16 to 10,300 particles per kilogram worldwide.
A 2026 systematic review in Sustainability (MDPI) tracing how microplastics enter farmland through mulching films, sewage sludge, and fertilizers, and documenting their effects on soil microbes, invertebrates, and crops. Polypropylene and polyethylene dominate, and polystyrene is identified as the most hazardous polymer.
