Urgent need for a comprehensive assessment of large-scale microplastic pollution in plastic-intensive agriculture

Abstract

Microplastic accumulation in agricultural soils poses a growing environmental concern, affecting soil fertility, microbial communities, and crop productivity. This paper reviews current knowledge of soil microplastic toxicity, summarizes documented effects on plant and soil processes, and proposes a strategy for targeted analyses using existing soil archives. While laboratory and field studies have provided valuable mechanistic insights, their limited spatial and temporal scope constrains real-world applicability. Studies in soil systems, particularly those accounting for the origin, distribution, and environmental behavior of microplastics, are still limited. Moreover, current soil and crop evaluations often rely on single polymer type and assume a linear relationship with crop toxicity, which remains questionable. This study highlights the lack of data capturing both spatial and temporal variability of microplastics in the agricultural soils. Notably, no comprehensive Korean database currently links soil microplastic contamination to crop growth and yield under field conditions. Establishing such a database is essential to support risk assessment, agricultural management, and improving biogeochemical modeling tailored to Korean soils and cropping systems. Therefore, a unified information system for agricultural microplastic management is needed to integrate physiological and biogeochemical data across scales.