Plastic debris in plastic-mulched soil-a screening study from western Germany.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Agricultural plastic mulches offer great benefits such as higher yields and lower pesticide use. Yet, plastic mulches may disintegrate over time and fragment into smaller debris. Such plastic debris is expected to remain in the field after removal of the plastic mulch and thus contributes to soil contamination with plastics.

Method

To investigate this, we collected soil samples at 0-10 cm and 10-40 cm depth from three fields covered with black mulch film for three consecutive years. Three fields without any reported plastic use served as control. Visual plastic debris > 1 cm (macroplastics) was collected from the soil surface. Mesoplastics between 2 mm and 1 cm were density separated from the sampled soil using saturated NaCl solution and analyzed by Fourier-trans

SUBMITTER: Steinmetz Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9306551 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature