Microplastics in agroecosystems: A barrier to soil health and crop productivity

Healthy soil is the foundation for sustainable agriculture to produce stable and safe yields. Microplastics in agroecosystems affect multiple processes: they disrupt soil structure, alter water and element content, modify soil chemistry, and interfere with microbiological activities. At the same time, agriculture is also the biggest polluter of microplastics. Therefore, agricultural practices that use plastic materials are contrary to the principles of sustainability. This paper aims to give an overview of the consequences of microplastics in the soil on agricultural systems. Also, the results of alternative materials in the soil were presented to determine if the use of these materials instead of plastic can be considered to be sustainable.