Raw data and script for generating the graphs published in : van Schothorst, B.; Beriot, N.; Huerta Lwanga, E.; Geissen, V. Sources of Light Density Microplastic Related to Two Agricultural Practices: The Use of Compost and Plastic Mulch. Environments 2021, 8, 36. https://doi.org/10.3390/environments8040036
MPs_results.csv
Results table from the particles analysis in ImageJ
MPs_Soil_Compost_Analysis.R
- Calculate summary statistics of the MPs_results.csv
- Perform statistical tests
- Plot the results
Microplastics (MPs) constitute a known, undesirable contaminant of the ecosystems. Land-based pollution is considered an important contributor, but microplastic in the terrestrial environment remains largely unquantified. Some agriculture practices such as plastic mulch and compost ap-plication are suspected to be major sources of microplastics as plastics are exposed to weathering or are present in organic fertilizers. The overall aim of this research is to bridge the terrestrial plastic contamination information gap, focusing on light density microplastics in two vegetable production systems: in Southeast Spain and in the Netherlands . The selected farmer in Spain used plastic mulch for more than 20 years whereas the two farmers in Netherlands annually applied 10 t ha-1 compost . Samples from two different depths were collected: 0-10cm and 10-30cm . high quality compost samples originating from municipal organic waste and from garden and greenhouse waste were obtained from two Dutch compost plants. All samples of both Spanish (n=29) and Dutch (n=40) soils were polluted by microplastics, containing respectively 2242 ±984 MPs kg-1 and 888 ±500 MPs kg-1. Compost samples from municipal organic waste (n=9) were more polluted than the ones from garden and green house wastes (n=19 ), with respectively 2800 ±616 MPs kg-1 and 1253 ±561 MPs kg-1. These results highlight the need for studies focusing on the effects of microplastics in the environment and the need for monitoring campaigns and the implementation of thresholds to regulate the microplastic contamination.