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Updated: Nov 27, 2025

Isolation of Native Soil Microorganisms with Potential for Breaking Down Biodegradable Plastic Mulch Films Used in Agriculture
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Soil Microbial Communities Associated With Biodegradable Plastic Mulch Films.

Sreejata Bandopadhyay1, José E Liquet Y González1, Kelsey B Henderson1

  • 1Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States.

Frontiers in Microbiology
|December 7, 2020
PubMed
Summary

Biodegradable plastic mulch films (BDMs) host unique soil microbial communities, including enriched fungi and specific bacteria like Methylobacterium, Arthrobacter, and Sphingomonas, which are key to plastic biodegradation in agricultural soils.

Keywords:
biodegradable plasticplastic biodegradationplastic mulchplastic mulch filmsplastispheresoil microbe community

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Area of Science:

  • Environmental microbiology
  • Polymer science
  • Agricultural science

Background:

  • Agricultural plastic mulch films enhance crop yields but raise environmental concerns.
  • Biodegradable plastic mulch films (BDMs) offer a sustainable alternative to conventional polyethylene (PE) films.
  • Understanding the soil microbes involved in BDM biodegradation is crucial for assessing their environmental impact.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To characterize the soil microbial communities associated with agriculturally-weathered biodegradable and polyethylene mulch films.
  • To investigate the role of these microbes in the biodegradation of BDMs.
  • To compare microbial communities on BDMs versus PE films in agricultural settings and laboratory cultures.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of microbial communities on weathered plastic mulches from two field locations.
  • Laboratory enrichment cultures to assess biodegradation potential.
  • Amplicon sequencing and quantitative PCR (qPCR) to identify and quantify microbial taxa.

Main Results:

  • Agriculturally-weathered plastics showed an enrichment of fungi and altered bacterial communities compared to bulk soil.
  • Specific bacterial genera, including Methylobacterium, Arthrobacter, and Sphingomonas, were enriched on BDMs relative to PE films.
  • Laboratory cultures demonstrated that microbial consortia could degrade BDMs, with community composition influenced by BDM type.

Conclusions:

  • Biodegradable plastic mulch films (BDMs) support a distinct microbial community, the "plastisphere," which is likely involved in their degradation.
  • The composition of BDMs influences the associated microbial consortia and their biodegradation capabilities.
  • This research provides foundational insights into the microbial ecology of BDM biodegradation in agricultural environments.