Modeling the temporal evolution of plastic film microplastics in soil using a backpropagation neural network.

Plastic films are a crucial aspect of agricultural production in China, as well as a key source of microplastics in farmland. However, research into the environmental behavior of microplastics derived from polyethylene (PE) and biodegradable plastic films such as polybutylene adipate-co-terephthalate (PBAT) is limited by inadequate knowledge of their evolution and fate in soil. Therefore, we conducted controlled soil incubation experiments using new and aged microplastics derived from prepared PE and PBAT plastic films to determine their temporal evolution characteristics in soil.

Regulatory path for soil microbial communities depends on the type and dose of microplastics.

To reveal the feedbacks and regulating mechanisms of microplastic types and doses on microbial community, a microcosm experiment was carried out with two non-degradable microplastics [polyethylene (PE) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC)] and four biodegradable microplastics [poly(butylene succinate) (PBS), polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), poly(butyleneadipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT), and polypropylene carbonate (PPC)] at different levels (1 %, 7 %, and 28 %). As a result, the content of total carbon (TC), soil organic carbon (SOC), and microbial biomass carbon (MBC) (expect MBC in PBS soil) increased with increasing doses of microplastics, and increased at the lowest PE dose rate. Biodegradable microplastics created a more active ecological niche while enriching more pathogens than non-degradable microplastics.

[Overview of the Application of Machine Learning for Identification and Environmental Risk Assessment of Microplastics].

Microplastics are an emerging contaminant that can persist in the environment for extended periods， posing risks to ecological systems. Recently， microplastic pollution has emerged as a major global environmental problem. In order to ensure accurate and scientific evaluation of the ecological risks associated with microplastic pollution， it is of paramount importance to improve the simplicity and reliability of microplastic identification， systematically analyze the pollution characteristics of microplastics in various environmental media， and clarify their environmental impacts.

The characteristics and influencing factors of farmland soil microplastic in Hetao Irrigation District, China.

Microplastic pollution, a major global concern, has garnered increasing attention in agricultural ecosystem research. China's Hetao Irrigation District, vital for grain production in the Yellow River Basin, lacks sufficient research on microplastic pollution of agricultural soils. This study, based on a detailed background investigation and testing of 47 samples, is the first to elucidate the characteristics and potential influencing factors of microplastics in the Hetao Irrigation District.

Occurrence and characteristics of microplastics in soils from greenhouse and open-field cultivation using plastic mulch film.

There is a major knowledge gap concerning the extent of microplastic pollution in agronomic regions of China, which represent a plastic use hotspot. In order to clarify the amendment of agronomic region and plastic film mulching mode to microplastics distribution, the characteristics of microplastics distributed in agricultural soils from three typical regions (Beijing (BJ), Shandong (SD), and Xinjiang (XJ)) with two plastic film mulching modes (greenhouse (G) and conventional field-based film mulching (M)) in China were investigated. Microplastics weight and their response to planting regions were also evaluated in this study.

Mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions and improved yield by plastic mulching in rice production.

Soil mulching technologies are effective practices which alleviate non-point source pollution and carbon emissions, while ensuring grain production security and increasing water productivity. However, the lack of comprehensive understanding of the impacts of mulching technologies on rice fields has hindered progress in global implementation due to the varying environments and application conditions under which they are implemented. This study conducted a meta-analysis based on 2412 groups of field experiment data from 313 studies to evaluate the effects of soil mulching methods on rice production, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and water use efficiency.

Kinetics of microplastic generation from different types of mulch films in agricultural soil.

Upon environmental weathering, plastic materials form smaller sized microplastics, of which the contamination in agricultural fields is of significant importance and increasing social concern. Plastic mulch films are considered a major source of agricultural soil microplastic pollution. However, the mechanism and kinetics of microplastic formation from plastic mulch films were rarely understood.

Climate-induced increase in terrestrial carbon storage in the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

Predicting the change in carbon storage in regions of high carbon uptake and those under highly intensive human disturbance is crucial for regional ecosystem management to promote sustainable development of the economy and ecology in the future. We use a process-based model to estimate the terrestrial carbon storage in Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) and to predict the change of carbon storage over the next 100 years. The results show that the vegetation carbon (VC) and soil organic carbon (SOC) storage were 8.

Spatial-temporal variations of carbon storage and carbon sequestration rate in China's national forest parks.

Forests play an important role in regulating climate change and maintaining carbon balance. To explore the carbon storage and carbon sequestration rate of national forest parks is of great significance for carbon sequestration capacity assessment and sustainable forest management. A process-based ecosystem model (CEVSA2 model) was used to simulate the spatial distribution of carbon density, carbon storage and carbon sequestration rate of 881 national forest parks in China during 1982-2017.

Agricultural plastic mulching as a source of microplastics in the terrestrial environment.

Plastic mulching is suspected to be a significant source of microplastics in terrestrial environments owing to its intensive application and improper disposal. However, there has been a comparative lack of studies examining this hypothesis. In this study, the occurrence of macroplastics in agricultural soils was investigated by analysing 384 soil samples collected from 19 provinces across China.

Behavior of microplastics and plastic film residues in the soil environment: A critical review.

It is now widely acknowledged that microplastic pollution represents one of the greatest anthropogenically mediated threats to Earth-system functioning. In freshwater and marine ecosystems the presence of large amounts of microplastic appears almost ubiquitous, with frequent reports of negative impacts on aquatic health. In contrast, however, the impact of plastic in terrestrial environments remains poorly understood.

Effects of agricultural plastic film residues on transportation and distribution of water and nitrate in soil.

Residual plastic film in soil destroys the soil structure and changes the normal transportation and distribution of water and nutrient. In this work, we compared experiments on soil containing residual plastic film with a control experiment to investigate how residual film affects the transportation and distribution of water and nitrate (NO) in wetted soil. The experiment used Mariotte bottle, water tube, and soil tank to test six levels of residual-film concentration varying from 0 to 720 kg/hm in the soil.

Effects of plastic mulching and plastic residue on agricultural production: A meta-analysis.

China is a large agricultural country, and food security is significantly limited by the shortage of water resources. Plastic mulching technology can effectively modify the crop growth environment and crop production due to differences in climatic conditions, spatial distribution characteristics, and cropping systems and methods. In this study, a meta-analysis was conducted to quantitatively analyze the effects of plastic film mulching and residual plastic on yield and water use efficiency (WUE) of maize, wheat, potato, and cotton in China based on 266 peer-reviewed publications.

Effects of climate warming on net primary productivity in China during 1961-2010.

The response of ecosystems to different magnitudes of climate warming and corresponding precipitation changes during the last few decades may provide an important reference for predicting the magnitude and trajectory of net primary productivity (NPP) in the future. In this study, a process-based ecosystem model, Carbon Exchange between Vegetation, Soil and Atmosphere (CEVSA), was used to investigate the response of NPP to warming at both national and subregional scales during 1961-2010. The results suggest that a 1.

Influence of film mulching on soil microbial community in a rainfed region of northeastern China.

Information about the effect of plastic film mulching (PFM) on the soil microbial communities of rainfed regions remains scarce. In the present study, Illumina Hiseq sequencer was employed to compare the soil bacterial and fungal communities under three treatments: no mulching (NM), spring mulching (SM) and autumn mulching (AM) in two layers (0-10 and, 10-20 cm). Our results demonstrated that the plastic film mulching (PFM) application had positive effects on soil physicochemical properties as compared to no-mulching (NM): higher soil temperature (ST), greater soil moisture content (SMC) and better soil nutrients.

Ionomic and metabolic responses to neutral salt or alkaline salt stresses in maize (Zea mays L.) seedlings.

Background: Soil salinity and alkalinity present a serious threat to global agriculture. However, most of the studies have focused on neutral salt stress, and the information on the metabolic responses of plants to alkaline salt stress is limited. This investigation aimed at determining the influence of neutral salt and alkaline salt stresses on the content of metal elements and metabolites in maize plant tissues, by using mixtures of various proportions of NaCl, NaHCO, NaSO, and NaCO.

Comparison of Ionomic and Metabolites Response under Alkali Stress in Old and Young Leaves of Cotton ( L.) Seedlings.

Soil salinization is an important agriculture-related environmental problem. Alkali stress and salt stress strongly influence the metabolic balance in plants. Salt and alkali stresses exert varied effects on old and young tissues, which display different adaptive strategies.

[Application of biodegradable plastic film to reduce plastic film residual pollution in Chinese agriculture].

Plastic film has become an important agriculture production material in recent years. Over the past three decades, the amount and application area of plastic film have increased steadily, and in 2014, which are 1.4 million tons and more than 180 million hm² respectively.

Priming effect of (13)C-labelled wheat straw in no-tillage soil under drying and wetting cycles in the Loess Plateau of China.

The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of drying and wetting (DW) cycles on soil organic carbon (SOC) mineralisation and on the priming effect (PE) induced by the addition of (13)C-labelled wheat straw to long-term no-tillage (NT) and conventional-tillage (CT) soils. We observed that the SOC mineralisation rate in rewetted soils was greater than that in soils that were kept at constant water content. The proportion of CO2 derived from the straw declined dramatically during the first 10 days.

Comparative metabolic responses and adaptive strategies of wheat (Triticum aestivum) to salt and alkali stress.

Background: It is well known that salinization (high-pH) has been considered as a major environmental threat to agricultural systems. The aim of this study was to investigate the differences between salt stress and alkali stress in metabolic profiles and nutrient accumulation of wheat; these parameters were also evaluated to determine the physiological adaptive mechanisms by which wheat tolerates alkali stress.

Results: The harmful effect of alkali stress on the growth and photosynthesis of wheat were stronger than those of salt stress.

Long-term effect of manure and fertilizer on soil organic carbon pools in dryland farming in northwest China.

An understanding of the dynamics of soil organic carbon (SOC) as affected by farming practices is imperative for maintaining soil productivity and mitigating global warming. The objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of long-term fertilization on SOC and SOC fractions for the whole soil profile (0-100 cm) in northwest China. The study was initiated in 1979 in Gansu, China and included six treatments: unfertilized control (CK), nitrogen fertilizer (N), nitrogen and phosphorus (P) fertilizers (NP), straw plus N and P fertilizers (NP+S), farmyard manure (FYM), and farmyard manure plus N and P fertilizers (NP+FYM).

[Evapotranspiration of winter wheat field in North China Plain].

By using eddy covariance and remote sensing techniques, the relationships between winter wheat soil moisture content and farmland evapotranspiration or canopy temperature were analyzed at field scale under various environmental conditions in the North China Plain. The results showed that when the soil moisture content was below 65% of field capacity, the evaporative fraction under full canopy was low and stable during the middle part of clear days. Under clear sky condition, there was a good non-linear correlation between latent heat flux and crop canopy temperature with diurnal and seasonal patterns.