Effect of LDPE microplastics on chemical properties and microbial communities in soil

The accumulation of plastics in the soil ecosystem poses an increasing environmental concern worldwide. However, little is known about the effect of plastic concentrations on soil properties and soil biota. In this study, we investigated the effect of low‐density polyethylene (LDPE) microplastics (MPs) on the chemical and microbial properties of agricultural soil using a set of microcosm experiments. The soil was incubated for 100 days with LDPE at concentrations of 0%, 0.1%, 1%, 3%, 5%, and 7% at 25°C with 70% water‐holding capacity. Along with soil chemical analysis, we conducted an analysis of soil microbial properties on the first day and again after 100 days of incubation. LDPE concentrations of ≥1% significantly (p