Degradation of Biodegradable Mulch-Derived Microplastics and Their Effects on Bacterial Communities and Radish Growth in Three Vegetable-Cultivated Purple Soils

Biodegradable mulch films (BDMs) are considered a promising solution for mitigating plastic residue pollution in agroecosystems. However, the degradation behavior and ecological impacts of their residues on soil–plant systems remain unclear. Here, a pot experiment was conducted using an acidic purple soil (AS), a neutral purple soil (NS), and a calcareous purple soil (CS) to investigate the degradation of 1% (w/w) microplastics derived from polyethylene mulch film (PE-MPs) and polybutylene adipate terephthalate/polylactic acid (PBAT/PLA) mulch film (Bio-MPs), as well as their effects on soil properties, bacterial communities, and radish growth. PE-MPs degraded slightly, while the degradation of Bio-MPs followed the order of NS > CS > AS. PE-MPs and Bio-MPs enhanced the nitrification and radish growth in AS but had no significant effects on soil properties and radish growth in CS. Bio-MPs notably increased the relative abundance of PBAT/PLA degradation-related bacteria, such as Ramlibacter, Bradyrhizobium, and Microbacterium, across the three soils. In NS, Bio-MPs raised soil pH and enriched nitrogen-fixing and denitrifying bacteria, leading to a decrease in NO3−-N content and radish biomass. Overall, the effects of Bio-MPs on soil–plant systems varied with soil properties, which are closely related to their degradation rates. These findings highlight the need to assess the ecological risks of BDM residues before their large-scale use in agriculture.

• Publication year

  2025

• Venue

  Agriculture

• Publication date

  2025-07-13

• Fields of study

  Not labeled

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.3390/agriculture15141512
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

• Soil water repellency of two disturbed soils contaminated with different agricultural microplastics tested under controlled laboratory conditions

  2025cited by this paper
• In-field degradation of polybutylene adipate-co-terephthalate (PBAT) films, microplastic formation, and impacts on soil health.

  2025cited by this paper
• Effect of Biodegradable Mulch and Different Synthetic Mulches on Growth and Yield of Field-Grown Small-Fruited Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.)

  2025cited by this paper
• Biodegradable microplastics affect tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) growth by interfering rhizosphere key phylotypes.

  2025cited by this paper
• Field-based assessment of the effect of conventional and biodegradable plastic mulch film on nitrogen partitioning, soil microbial diversity, and maize biomass

  2024cited by this paper
• Effects of microplastics derived from biodegradable mulch film on different plant species growth and soil properties.

  2024cited by this paper
• Impact of long-term conventional and biodegradable film mulching on microplastic abundance, soil structure and organic carbon in a cotton field.

  2024cited by this paper
• Comparing the impact of microplastics derived from a biodegradable and a conventional plastic mulch on plant performance.

  2024cited by this paper
• Effects of different sizes of microplastic particles on soil respiration, enzyme activities, microbial communities, and seed germination.

  2024cited by this paper
• Temporal dynamics of rhizosphere bacterial community in the Robinia pseudoacacia–Mesorhizobium loti symbiotic system for remediation of cadmium-contaminated soils

  2024cited by this paper
• Effects of soil properties and land use patterns on the distribution of microplastics: A case study in southwest China.

  2024cited by this paper
• Characteristics and Migration Dynamics of Microplastics in Agricultural Soils

  2024cited by this paper
• Response of soil property and microbial community to biodegradable microplastics, conventional microplastics and straw residue

  2024cited by this paper
• Polylactic acid microplastics induced negative priming and improved carbon sequestration via microbial processes in different paddy soils

  2024cited by this paper
• Microplastics regulate soil microbial activities: Evidence from catalase, dehydrogenase, and fluorescein diacetate hydrolase.

  2024cited by this paper
• Research progress on degradation of biodegradable micro-nano plastics and its toxic effect mechanism on soil ecosystem.

  2024cited by this paper
• Effects of microplastics exposure on soil inorganic nitrogen: A comprehensive synthesis.

  2023cited by this paper
• Biodegradable microplastic increases CO2 emission and alters microbial biomass and bacterial community composition in different soil types

  2023cited by this paper
• LDPE and biodegradable PLA-PBAT plastics differentially affect plant-soil nitrogen partitioning and dynamics in a Hordeum vulgare mesocosm.

  2023cited by this paper
• Characterization of a PBAT Degradation Carboxylesterase from Thermobacillus composti KWC4

  2023cited by this paper
• Distinct influence of conventional and biodegradable microplastics on microbe-driving nitrogen cycling processes in soils and plastispheres as evaluated by metagenomic analysis.

  2023cited by this paper
• Microbes drive metabolism, community diversity, and interactions in response to microplastic-induced nutrient imbalance.

  2023cited by this paper
• Degradation characteristics of polybutylene adipate terephthalic acid (PBAT) and its effect on soil physicochemical properties: A comparative study with several polyethylene (PE) mulch films.

  2023cited by this paper
• Are biodegradable mulch films a sustainable solution to microplastic mulch film pollution? A biogeochemical perspective.

  2023cited by this paper
• Response of peanut plant and soil N-fixing bacterial communities to conventional and biodegradable microplastics.

  2023cited by this paper
• Plastic mulching, and occurrence, incorporation, degradation, and impacts of polyethylene microplastics in agroecosystems.

  2023cited by this paper
• Responses of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) growth and soil properties to conventional non-biodegradable and new biodegradable microplastics.

  2023cited by this paper
• Discrepant responses of bacterial community and enzyme activities to conventional and biodegradable microplastics in paddy soil.

  2023cited by this paper
• Metagenomic exploration of microbial and enzymatic traits involved in microplastic biodegradation.

  2023cited by this paper
• Mineralisation and priming effects of a biodegradable plastic mulch film in soils: Influence of soil type, temperature and plastic particle size

  2023cited by this paper
• Degradation of polylactic acid/polybutylene adipate films in different ratios and the response of bacterial community in soil environments.

  2022cited by this paper
• Bioplastic (PHBV) Addition to Soil Alters Microbial Community Structure and Negatively Affects Plant-microbial Metabolic Functioning in Maize

  2022cited by this paper
• Biodegradable plastics: Effects on functionality and fertility of two different soils

  2022cited by this paper
• Microplastics change soil properties, heavy metal availability and bacterial community in a Pb-Zn-contaminated soil.

  2022cited by this paper
• Effect of LDPE and biodegradable PBAT primary microplastics on bacterial community after four months of soil incubation.

  2022cited by this paper
• Macro- and microplastic accumulation in soil after 32 years of plastic film mulching.

  2022cited by this paper
• A Comparative Study on the Aerobic Biodegradation of the Biopolymer Blends of Poly(butylene succinate), Poly(butylene adipate terephthalate) and Poly(lactic acid)

  2022cited by this paper
• Negative effects of poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) microplastics on Arabidopsis and its root-associated microbiome.

  2022cited by this paper
• Microplastic additions alter soil organic matter stability and bacterial community under varying temperature in two contrasting soils.

  2022cited by this paper
• Effects of plastic residues and microplastics on soil ecosystems: A global meta-analysis.

  2022cited by this paper
• Field application of biodegradable microplastics has no significant effect on plant and soil health in the short term.

  2022cited by this paper
• Soil bacterial community and metabolism showed a more sensitive response to PBAT biodegradable mulch residues than that of LDPE mulch residues.

  2022cited by this paper
• Microplastics in Agricultural Systems: Analytical Methodologies and Effects on Soil Quality and Crop Yield

  2022cited by this paper
• Effects of microplastics on soil properties: Current knowledge and future perspectives.

  2021cited by this paper
• High negative surface charge increases the acidification risk of purple soil in China

  2021cited by this paper
• Phytotoxicity assessment of biodegradable and non-biodegradable plastics using seed germination and early growth tests.

  2021cited by this paper
• Soil Type Driven Change in Microbial Community Affects Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) Degradation Potential.

  2021cited by this paper
• Effects of plastic mulch film residues on wheat rhizosphere and soil properties.

  2019cited by this paper
• Response of soil enzyme activities and bacterial communities to the accumulation of microplastics in an acid cropped soil.

  2019cited by this paper
• Simultaneous nitrification–denitrification and microbial community profile in an oxygen-limiting intermittent aeration SBBR with biodegradable carriers

  2018cited by this paper
• Effect of organic matter and calcium carbonate on behaviors of cadmium adsorption-desorption on/from purple paddy soils.

  2014cited by this paper
• Biodegradation behavior of poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT), poly(lactic acid) (PLA), and their blend under soil conditions

  2013cited by this paper
• Effects of microplastics on common bean rhizosphere bacterial communities

  year unknowncited by this paper

• No citing papers are available for this paper.