Microplastics in Farm Soil Carry Pesticides and Resistance Genes

Microplastics in farm soil can smuggle pollutants, pesticides and bacteria, a five-year EU-funded project found. Researchers say the particle surfaces — known as the plastisphere, the thin layer where microbes live — held more antibiotic-resistance genes, a problem pesticides worsened. Smaller particles absorbed more. The mix can disrupt nutrient cycles for earthworms and other soil organisms.