PLASTIC CONTAMINATION, AN EMERGING THREAT FOR AGRICULTURAL SOIL HEALTH: A CASE STUDY IN MEMARI II C. D. BLOCK, PURBA BARDHAMAN, WEST BENGAL, INDIAPIYUSH MAJI AND BISWARANJAN MISTRIAbstract Soil health is an important part of the sustainable agricultural system; Intensive farming without damaging the soil is the core principle of sustainable agriculture. Agricultural practices are considered as systematic, scientific and expertise activity. In agricultural fields, the application of plastic-coated fertilizers or plastic-contained sludge water is often detrimental to soil health, field production and human health as well. The present study focused on the potential pathways of plastic in agricultural lands, the amount and categorical division of detected plastics, as well as its effect on the different physical properties of the soil. The majority of detected plastic materials were analysed as LDPE (44.50%) followed by PP (30.38%), PET (18.60%), PS (5%) and HDPE (0.65%). Compared to the two clusters, the result shows that in control clusters, bulk density (1.04 g/cm3), soil porosity (60.61%), water-filled pore spaces (56.10%) and soil aggregate stability (48%) have been identified as ideal or stable soil conditions. However, compared with contaminated clusters, the findings suggest that higher bulk density (1.58 g/cm3), low soil porosity (40.26%), low water content or pore spaces filled with water (38.77%) and lower aggregation (36%) that all have proved that plastic enriched soil is harmful and it declines the soil health day by day. |