Brief introduction on the special issue: Plastic pollution has been recently listed as one of the top 10 global environmental problems by the United Nations Environment Programme and is now considered to be a major factor responsible for the worldwide decline in biodiversity. However, Governments and agencies have been actively encouraging the use of plastic mulch films within agriculture to enhance water conservation and promote crop yields. This issue is particularly acute in low and middle-income countries and is threatening the health and wellbeing of billions of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people. For example, it has been reported that one person dies from illnesses and diseases caused by plastic pollution in these countries every 30 seconds. The paradox between plastic pollution and food security calls for a holistic assessment of the impact of plastics on agroecosystem health and the development of interventions to reduce this plastic legacy, while still maintaining sustainable farming practices and livelihoods.
Although several thousand articles have been published on the amount, behavior and fate of microplastics in marine systems, our understanding of the impact of plastics on ecological functioning and the human food chain in terrestrial environments, remains poorly understood. This is surprising, considering that 80% of plastics arriving in the oceans were produced, used, and often disposed of on land. Globally, agriculture currently consumes 8 million tons of plastic per year with a predicted annual growth rate of 6.8% over the next 5 years. Although agriculture provides most food for humans, the potential ecological and humanitarian trade-offs of plastic use in agricultural systems remain poorly understood.
This Research Topic will help to provide new insights into the issue of plastic pollution in agriculture by combining disciplines of physicochemistry, biochemistry, and ecology, investigate the governance policy and farmer behaviour that leads to plastic abuse and pollution, seek solutions to remove plastic from contaminated agricultural and develop new plastic disposal routes.
We encourage submission of Original Research, Reviews, Mini Reviews, Methods, Perspectives, and Opinions related to plastic problems in agroecosystems. The topics covered may include, but are not limited to:
l The behavior, fate and impact of plastics on soil, plant and microbial health in agricultural ecosystems;
l The effect of plastics on soil element cycling and microbial ecology;
l Socioeconomic and governance issues that lead to plastic pollution;
l Solutions for remediating plastic contaminated soil and reducing usage of plastics such as novel plastic mulch alternatives and plastic removal approaches.
Keywords: plastic contamination, soil health, food safety, agricultural sustainability, remediation of plastic contamination, plastic removal
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
Time schedule:
Determination of Co-Organizers: 30 August 2024
Invitation of Lead Authors: 15 September 2024
One page abstract submission: 15 October 2024
Online submission deadline: 31 December 2024
Scheduled publication date: Once the paper is accepted, it will be online with doi number; 2025 (Printed)
Frontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering (FASE) collects innovative papers that advance the understanding of scientific, technological/engineering, socio-economic, institutional/policy, and management factors that drive current and future agricultural productivity and sustainability globally. It is an open-access journal published quarterly with no page charges. The impact factor of 2023 is 3.6, the CiteScore of 2023 is 5.1. All submitted manuscripts will be peer-reviewed by experts of international standing.
The Editor-in-Chief of FASE is Academician Prof. Qixin Sun, based at China Agricultural University. The associate Editors-in-Chief comprise Hans Lambers from the University of Western Australia, Shenggen Fan and Yaofeng Zhao from China Agricultural University, Oene Oenema from Wageningen University, William J. Davies from Lancaster University, and Peter Vitousek from Stanford University.
Please submit your manuscripts through FASE online submission system at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/fase and marked “Special Issue: “Agricultural plastic’s application and problems” in your letter or manuscript. The editors will strive to complete the first review process within one week and give you a quick response.
Guest Editors
Xuejun Liu
Professor, China Agricultural University
liu310@cau.edu.cn
College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, National Academy of Agriculture Green Development, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Changrong Yan
Professor, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
yanchangrong@caas.cn
Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Kai Wang
Associate Professor, China Agricultural University
kaiwang_ly@cau.edu.cn
College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, National Academy of Agriculture Green Development, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Fan Ding
Associate Professor, Shenyang Agricultural University
dingfan1985@syau.edu.cn
College of Land and Environment, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110086, China
Mouliang Xiao
Lecturer, Zhejiang A & F University
xiaomouliang@zafu.edu.cn
State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A & F University, Hangzhou, 311300, China
Dave R. Chadwick
Professor, Bangor University
d.chadwick@bangor.ac.uk
School of Environmental and Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, LL57 2UW, UK
Davey L. Jones
Professor, Bangor University
d.jones@bangor.ac.uk
School of Environmental and Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, LL57 2UW, UK