Soil plastic fragments host viral webs that could reshape farming

Soil plastic fragments host viral webs that could reshape farming

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Mar 09, 2026 Microplastics are now recognized as a growing threat to farmland as well as oceans and rivers, with new research highlighting how plastic particles in soil host intricate interactions between microbes and viruses that could alter ecosystem health and long term agricultural sustainability. These plastic fragments, typically smaller than five millimeters, enter agricultural soils through pla