AI-Enabled Strategies for Managing Microplastic Risk in Agroecosystems

Engineering ›› DOI: 10.1016/j.eng.2025.09.012

review-article

Author information +

History +

PDF (4847KB)

Abstract

The continuous increase in microplastic (MP) pollution poses significant risks to human health and environmental sustainability, especially in agroecosystems. This study focused on identifying and managing MP risk to crops in agricultural soils in China, which is among the world’s largest consumers of plastic. Via the use of 3243 site-year field observations, we developed intelligent agriculture models to predict MP-related crop risks and identify key drivers, such as climate, livestock density, and fertilizer application, other than the use of agricultural plastic film. Rice was most sensitive to MPs, with an average risk quotient (RQ; unitless) of (3.76 ± 1.95), which is 2.19 and 1.93 times greater than those of maize and wheat, respectively. Climate factors are closely related to livestock density and agricultural management practices, potentially exacerbating MP risk under future conditions. Optimizing livestock density and fertilizer use levels reduced MP risk by 20.9%, 22.9%, and 20.3% and increased crop yields by 9.0%, 6.0%, and 5.6% for maize, rice, and wheat, respectively. Despite limitations related to model uncertainty and policy implementation, the proposed intelligent agriculture model provides a comprehensive basis and potential solutions for assessing and managing MP risk to crops.

Keywords

Microplastics / Risk / Intelligent agriculture / Food security / Optimization

Cite this article

Download citation ▾

Peng Deng, Li Mu, Wendan Xue, Ruiqi Wang, Xiangang Hu, Xu Dong, Baoshan Xing. AI-Enabled Strategies for Managing Microplastic Risk in Agroecosystems. Engineering DOI:10.1016/j.eng.2025.09.012

登录浏览全文

4963

注册一个新账户忘记密码

References

Publishing order | Descend order by publishing year | Descend order by cited within

[1]	Rillig MC, Kim SW, Zhu YG.The soil plastisphere.Nat Rev Microbiol 2024; 22(2):64-74.

[2]	Thompson RC, Olsen Y, Mitchell RP, Davis A, Rowland SJ, John AWG, et al.Lost at sea: where is all the plastic?.Science 2004; 304(5672):838.

[3]	Trainic M, Flores JM, Pinkas I, Pedrotti ML, Lombard F, Bourdin G, et al.Airborne microplastic particles detected in the remote marine atmosphere.Commun Earth Environ 2020; 1(1):64.

[4]	Strokal M, Vriend P, Bak MPP, Kroeze C, van J Wijnen, van T Emmerik.River export of macro- and micro-plastics to seas by sources worldwide.Nat Commun 2023; 14(1):4842.

[5]	Hamdhani H, Eppehimer DE, Khusmiadi A, Jailani J.The abundance of microplastics in the digestive system of silver barb (Barbonymus gonionotus) from the waters of the Karang Mumus River, Samarinda city, Indonesia.Water Conserv Manag 2023; 8(2):179-184.

[6]	Akhtar S, Pranay K, Kumari K.Personal protective equipment and micro–nano plastics: a review of an unavoidable interrelation for a global well-being hazard.Hyg Environ Health Adv 2023; 6:100055.

[7]	Salehi Z, Hashemi SH, Flury M.Micro- and meso-plastics in farmlands with different irrigation water sources.Water Air Soil Pollut 2023; 234(4):267.

[8]	Tayyab M, Kazmi SSUH, Pastorino P, Saqib HSA, Yaseen ZM, Hanif MS, et al.Microplastics in agroecosystems: soil-plant dynamics and effective remediation approaches.Chemosphere 2024; 362:142641.

[9]	Weithmann N, Möller JN, Löder MGJ, Piehl S, Laforsch C, Freitag R.Organic fertilizer as a vehicle for the entry of microplastic into the environment.Sci Adv 2018; 4(4):eaap8060.

[10]	Hee YY, Hanif NM, Weston K, Latif MT, Suratman S, Rusli MU, et al.Atmospheric microplastic transport and deposition to urban and pristine tropical locations in Southeast Asia.Sci Total Environ 2023; 902:166153.

[11]	United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). UNEP 2023 annual report: keeping the promise. Report. Nairobi: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP); 2023.

[12]	Zantis LJ, Borchi C, Vijver MG, Peijnenburg W, Di S Lonardo, Bosker T.Nano- and micro-plastics commonly cause adverse impacts on plants at environmentally relevant levels: a systematic review.Sci Total Environ 2023; 867:161211.

[13]	Guo S, Mu L, Sun S, Hou X, Yao M, Hu X.Concurrence of microplastics and heat waves reduces rice yields and disturbs the agroecosystem nitrogen cycle.J Hazard Mater 2023; 452:131340.

[14]	He L, Li Z, Jia Q, Xu Z.Soil microplastics pollution in agriculture.Science 2023; 379(6632):547.

[15]	Nizzetto L, Langaas S, Futter M.Pollution: do microplastics spill on to farm soils?.Nature 2016; 537(7621):488.

[16]	Lin J, Cheng Q, Kumar A, Zhang W, Yu Z, Hui D, et al.Effect of degradable microplastics, biochar and their coexistence on soil organic matter decomposition: a critical review.TrAC Trends Analyt Chem 2025; 183:118082.

[17]	Singh S, Chakma S, Alawa B, Kalyanasundaram M, Diwan V.Microplastic pollution in terrestrial environment: identification, characterization, and risk assessment in Indore, Central India.Soil Use Manag 2024; 40(2):e13053.

[18]	Lozano YM, Aguilar-Trigueros CA, Onandia G, Maa Sß, Zhao T, Rillig MC.Effects of microplastics and drought on soil ecosystem functions and multifunctionality.J Appl Ecol 2021; 58(5):988-996.

[19]	Kooi M, Koelmans AA.Simplifying microplastic via continuous probability distributions for size, shape, and density.Environ Sci Technol Lett 2019; 6(9):551-557.

[20]	Everaert G, Van L Cauwenberghe, De M Rijcke, Koelmans AA, Mees J, Vandegehuchte M, et al.Risk assessment of microplastics in the ocean: modelling approach and first conclusions.Environ Pollut 2018; 242:1930-1938.

[21]	Zhao F, Yang L, Yen H, Feng Q, Li M, Chen L.Reducing risks of antibiotics to crop production requires land system intensification within thresholds.Nat Commun 2023; 14(1):6094.

[22]	Long Y, Zhang Y, Zhou Z, Liu R, Qiu Z, Qiu Y, et al.Are microplastics in livestock and poultry manure an emerging threat to agricultural soil safety?.Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2024; 31(8):11543-11558.

[23]	Iqbal S, Xu J, Arif MS, Worthy FR, Jones DL, Khan S, et al.Do added microplastics, native soil properties, and prevailing climatic conditions have consequences for carbon and nitrogen contents in soil? A global data synthesis of pot and greenhouse studies.Environ Sci Technol 2024; 58(19):8464-8479.

[24]	Li HZ, Zhu D, Lindhardt JH, Lin SM, Ke X, Cui L.Long-term fertilization history alters effects of microplastics on soil properties, microbial communities, and functions in diverse farmland ecosystem.Environ Sci Technol 2021; 55(8):4658-4668.

[25]	Hu Q, Zhao Y, Hu X, Qi J, Suo L, Pan Y, et al.Effect of saline land reclamation by constructing the “raised field-shallow trench” pattern on agroecosystems in Yellow River Delta.Agric Water Manag 2022; 261:107345.

[26]	Ren S, Wang K, Zhang J, Li J, Zhang H, Qi R, et al.Potential sources and occurrence of macro-plastics and microplastics pollution in farmland soils: a typical case of China.Crit Rev Environ Sci Technol 2024; 54(7):533-556.

[27]	Zhu H, Lin C, Liu G, Wang D, Qin S, Li A, et al.Intelligent agriculture: deep learning in UAV-based remote sensing imagery for crop diseases and pests detection.Front Plant Sci 2024; 15:1435016.

[28]	Xiao L, Wang G, Wang E, Liu S, Chang J, Zhang P, et al.Spatiotemporal co-optimization of agricultural management practices towards climate-smart crop production.Nat Food 2024; 5(1):59-71.

[29]	Li H, Tao Y, Xu T, Wang H, Yang M, Chen Y, et al.Real-time quantification of activated sludge concentration and viscosity through deep learning of microscopic images.Environ Sci Ecotechnol 2025; 24:100527.

[30]	Chu Y, Zhang X, Tang X, Jiang L, He R.Uncovering anaerobic oxidation of methane and active microorganisms in landfills by using stable isotope probing.Environ Res 2025; 271:121139.

[31]	Olawade DB, Wada OZ, Ige AO, Egbewole BI, Olojo A, Oladapo BI.Artificial intelligence in environmental monitoring: advancements, challenges, and future directions.Hyg Environ Health Adv 2024; 12:100114.

[32]	Luo J, Zhao C, Chen Q, Li G.Using deep belief network to construct the agricultural information system based on Internet of Things.J Supercomput 2022; 78(1):379-405.

[33]	Kropp I, Nejadhashemi AP, Deb K, Abouali M, Roy PC, Adhikari U, et al.A multi-objective approach to water and nutrient efficiency for sustainable agricultural intensification.Agr Syst 2019; 173:289-302.

[34]	Koelmans AA, Redondo-Hasselerharm PE, Mohamed NH Nor, Kooi M.Solving the nonalignment of methods and approaches used in microplastic research to consistently characterize risk.Environ Sci Technol 2020; 54(19):12307-12315.

[35]	Chia RW, Lee JY, Kim H, Jang J.Microplastic pollution in soil and groundwater: a review.Environ Chem Lett 2021; 19(6):4211-4224.

[36]	Waldschläger K, Schuttrumpf H.Effects of particle properties on the settling and rise velocities of microplastics in freshwater under laboratory conditions.Environ Sci Technol 2019; 53(4):1958-1966.

[37]	Zhao S, Zhang Z, Chen L, Cui Q, Cui Y, Song D, et al.Review on migration, transformation and ecological impacts of microplastics in soil.Appl Soil Ecol 2022; 176:104486.

[38]	Li J, Song Y, Cai Y.Focus topics on microplastics in soil: analytical methods, occurrence, transport, and ecological risks.Environ Pollut 2020; 257:113570.

[39]	Jin T, Tang J, Lyu H, Wang L, Gillmore AB, Schaeffer SM.Activities of microplastics (MPs) in agricultural soil: a review of MPs pollution from the perspective of agricultural ecosystems.J Agric Food Chem 2022; 70(14):4182-4201.

[40]	Zhang YQ, Lykaki M, Markiewicz M, Alrajoula MT, Kraas C, Stolte S.Environmental contamination by microplastics originating from textiles: emission, transport, fate and toxicity.J Hazard Mater 2022; 430:128453.

[41]	European chemicals agency (ECH A).ECHA adds three hazardous chemicals to the Candidate List [Internet].Helsinki: European chemicals agency (ECHA); 2025 Jun 25 [cited 2025 Aug 20]. Available from: https://echa.europa.eu/.

[42]	Kim SW, Rillig MC.Research trends of microplastics in the soil environment: comprehensive screening of effects.Soil Ecol Lett 2022; 4(2):109-118.

[43]	Chia RW, Lee JY, Jang J, Kim H, Kwon KD.Soil health and microplastics: a review of the impacts of microplastic contamination on soil properties.J Soil Sediment 2022; 22(10):2690-2705.

[44]	Harms IK, Diekötter T, Troegel S, Lenz M.Amount, distribution and composition of large microplastics in typical agricultural soils in Northern Germany.Sci Total Environ 2021; 758:143615.

[45]	Huang J, Chen H, Zheng Y, Yang Y, Zhang Y, Gao B.Microplastic pollution in soils and groundwater: characteristics, analytical methods and impacts.Chem Eng J 2021; 425:131870.

[46]	Guler HG, Larsen BE, Quintana O, Goral KD, Carstensen S, Christensen ED, et al.Experimental study of non-buoyant microplastic transport beneath breaking irregular waves on a live sediment bed.Mar Pollut Bull 2022; 181:113902.

[47]	Georgiou K, Jackson RB, Vinduskova O, Abramoff RZ, Ahlstrom A, Feng W, et al.Global stocks and capacity of mineral-associated soil organic carbon.Nat Commun 2022; 13(1):3797.

[48]	Deng P, Gao Y, Mu L, Hu X, Yu F, Jia Y, et al.Development potential of nanoenabled agriculture projected using machine learning.Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2023; 120(25):2301885120.

[49]	Qiu B, Hu X, Chen C, Tang Z, Yang P, Zhu X, et al.Maps of cropping patterns in China during 2015–2021.Sci Data 2022; 9(1):479.

[50]	Kang J, Ding W, Chang N, Yi X, Zhang J, Li H.Optimized crop-livestock coupling to reduce agricultural manure-N surplus and greenhouse gas emissions in China.J Clean Prod 2024; 467:142835.

[51]	Deb K, Pratap A, Agarwal S, Meyarivan T.A fast and elitist multiobjective genetic algorithm: NSGA-II.IEEE Trans Evol Comput 2002; 6(2):182-197.

[52]	Liu Q, Wang J, Bai Z, Ma L, Oenema O.Global animal production and nitrogen and phosphorus flows.Soil Res 2017; 55(6):451.

[53]	Schielzeth H.Simple means to improve the interpretability of regression coefficients.Methods Ecol Evol 2010; 1(2):103-113.

[54]	Moi DA, Lansac-T FMôha, Romero GQ, Sobral-Souza T, Cardinale BJ, Kratina P, et al.Human pressure drives biodiversity-multifunctionality relationships in large Neotropical wetlands.Nat Ecol Evol 2022; 6(9):1279-1289.

[55]	Qiu G, Wang Q, Wang T, Zhang S, Song N, Yang X, et al.Microplastic risk assessment and toxicity in plants: a review.Environ Chem Lett 2023; 22(1):209-226.

[56]	Cusworth SJ, Davies WJ, McAinsh MR, Stevens CJ.A nationwide assessment of microplastic abundance in agricultural soils: the influence of plastic crop covers within the United Kingdom.Plants People Planet 2023; 6(2):304-314.

[57]	Azeem I, Adeel M, Ahmad MA, Shakoor N, Zain M, Yousef N, et al.Microplastic and nanoplastic interactions with plant species: trends, meta-analysis, and perspectives.Environ Sci Technol Lett 2022; 9(6):482-492.

[58]	Ingraffia R, Amato G, Iovino M, Rillig MC, Giambalvo D, Frenda AS.Polyester microplastic fibers in soil increase nitrogen loss via leaching and decrease plant biomass production and N uptake.Environ Res Lett 2022; 17(5):054012.

[59]	Min M, Pu HF, He X, Deng SY.Anti-seepage performance and oxygen barrier performance of the three-layered landfill cover system comprising neutralized slag under extreme climate conditions.Eng Geol 2024; 342:107750.

[60]	Meizoso-Regueira T, Fuentes J, Cusworth SJ, Rillig MC.Prediction of future microplastic accumulation in agricultural soils.Environ Pollut 2024; 359:124587.

[61]	The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPC C).Climate change 2021-the physical science basis.Report. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 2023.

[62]	UN.General Assembly.Transforming our world: the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. Agenda. New York City: United Nations; 2015.

[63]	Ruggero F, Gori R, Lubello C.Methodologies for microplastics recovery and identification in heterogeneous solid matrices: a review.J Polym Environ 2020; 28(3):739-748.

[64]	Zhang T, Hou Y, Meng T, Ma Y, Tan M, Zhang F, et al.Replacing synthetic fertilizer by manure requires adjusted technology and incentives: a farm survey across China.Resour Conserv Recycl 2021; 168:105301.

[65]	Pan D, Tang J, Zhang L, He M, Kung CC.The impact of farm scale and technology characteristics on the adoption of sustainable manure management technologies: evidence from hog production in China.J Clean Prod 2021; 280:124340.

[66]	Kacprzak M, Malinska K, Grosser A, Sobik-Szoltysek J, Wystalska K, Drozdz D, et al.Cycles of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus in poultry manure management technologies - environmental aspects.Crit Rev Environ Sci Technol 2023; 53(8):914-938.

[67]	Jiang C, Wang Y, Yang Z, Zhao Y.Do adaptive policy adjustments deliver ecosystem–agriculture–economy co-benefits in land degradation neutrality efforts? Evidence from southeast coast of China.Environ Monit Assess 2023; 195(10):1215.

[68]	Xing J, Song J, Liu C, Yang W, Duan H, Yabar H, et al.Integrated crop-livestock-bioenergy system brings co-benefits and trade-offs in mitigating the environmental impacts of Chinese agriculture.Nat Food 2022; 3(12):1052-1064.

[69]	Cai S, Zhao X, Pittelkow CM, Fan M, Zhang X, Yan X.Optimal nitrogen rate strategy for sustainable rice production in China.Nature 2023; 615(7950):73-79.

[70]	United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. Assessment of agricultural plastics and their sustainability: a call for action. Rome: United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization; 2021.

[71]	Wang J, Zhang L, Liu K, Zhou B, Gao H, Han X, et al.Minimizing the potential risk of soil nitrogen loss through optimal fertilization practices in intensive agroecosystems.Agron Sustain Dev 2025; 45(1):9.

[72]	Yu F, Wei C, Deng P, Peng T, Hu X.Deep exploration of random forest model boosts the interpretability of machine learning studies of complicated immune responses and lung burden of nanoparticles.Sci Adv 2021; 7(22):eabf4130.

[73]	Yan P, Zhang S, Xing H, Yan S, Niu X, Wang J, et al.Spatial distribution of microplastics in Mollisols of the farmland in Northeast China: the role of field management and plastic sources.Geoderma 2025; 459:117367.

[74]	Vingerhoets R, Spiller M, De J Backer, Adriaens A, Vlaeminck SE, Meers E, et al.Detailed nitrogen and phosphorus flow analysis, nutrient use efficiency and circularity in the agri-food system of a livestock-intensive region.J Clean Prod 2023; 410:137278.

[75]	Li S, Wu X, Song X, Liu X, Gao H, Liang G, et al.Long-term nitrogen fertilization enhances crop yield potential in no-tillage systems through enhancing soil fertility.Resour Conserv Recycl 2024; 206:107622.

[76]	Liang Y, Xue L, Jia P, Zhang S, Hu Y, Zamanian K, et al.Fertilization management and greenhouse gases emissions from paddy fields in China: a meta-analysis.Field Crops Res 2024; 315:109490.

[77]	Zhang G, Ren R, Yan X, Zhang H, Zhu Y.Effects of microplastics on dissipation of oxytetracycline and its relevant resistance genes in soil without and with Serratia marcescens: comparison between biodegradable and conventional microplastics.Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 2024; 287:117235.

[78]	Rafiq A, Xu JL.Microplastics in waste management systems: a review of analytical methods, challenges and prospects.Waste Manag 2023; 171:54-70.

[79]	Tan T, Zhang Z, Huang Z, Ma C, Liu G, Huhe T, et al.Evaluating the nutrient and pollutant flows of the Chinese livestock manure management system from 1949 to 2050.Resour Conserv Recycl 2025; 215:108092.

[80]	Wang Y, Yan J, Wu Y.Impact of policy measures on smallholders’ livelihood resilience: evidence from Hehuang Valley.Tibetan Plateau Ecol Indic 2024; 158:111351.