Spatial Distributions,\nCompositional Profiles, Potential\nSources, and Intfluencing\nFactors of Microplastics in Soils from Different Agricultural Farmlands\nin China: A National Perspective

More attention has been paid to ubiquitous microplastics\n(MPs).\nAs a major food producer, the situation of MPs in China’s farmland\nis of even greater concern. Spatial distributions, characteristics,\nand compositions of MPs in five types of agricultural lands with representative\ncrops were investigated by collecting 477 soil samples from 109 cities\nin 31 administrative regions of mainland China. To better control\nMPs in farmland, nearly 400 field questionnaires were obtained, and\nmeteorological conditions, soil properties, and other statistics were\ncollected to quantify potential sources and determine influencing\nfactors. The average abundances of MPs was 2462 ± 3767 items/kg\nin the agricultural soils, and MP abundance in the greenhouses, farmlands\nwith film mulching, and blank farmlands from four integrated physical\ngeographic regions were determined. The contributions of agricultural\nfilms, livestock and poultry manures, irrigation water, and air deposition\nto MPs in farmlands have been calculated. Influencing factors, such\nas recovery method, plowing frequency, meteorological conditions,\nand part of soil properties, were significantly correlated with the\nabundances of MPs in the agricultural soils (p <\n0.05), while mulching age mainly affected MPs in the greenhouses (p < 0.05). This study provides basic scientific data\nfor decision-making and further analysis.