Data for: "Polyethylene polymer type and soil properties determine impacts of microplastic pollution on arugula growth"

Authors

Noah P. Walsh, Binghamton University--SUNYFollow
Ella Beaghen, Binghamton University--SUNYFollow
Abigail Kane, Binghamton University--SUNYFollow
Leilani M. SantoDomingo, Binghamton University--SUNYFollow
Daniel Watson, Binghamton University--SUNYFollow
Christina S. Baer, Binghamton University--SUNYFollow

Author ORCID Identifier

Noah P. Walsh: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-9804-7689

Christina S. Baer: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6294-6780

Document Type

Data Set

Publication Date

2024

Keywords

soil pollution, plastic pollution, agricultural pollution, aboveground, belowground

Abstract

From the manuscript abstract:

While microplastics have become a novel pollutant of concern, few studies have directly compared different polymers’ effects on plants. We investigated the effects of high-density (HDPE) and low-density (LDPE) polyethylene on arugula growth. We hypothesized that polyethylene microplastics would inhibit growth and that LDPE would have a greater effect than HDPE due to its branched structure and lower density. We grew arugula (Eruca vesicaria) in plain soil or soil mixed with HDPE or LDPE microplastics. To determine if microplastic effects are dependent on soil quality, we used two kinds of fresh soil and reused one type of old soil in which microplastics had incubated. We measured leaf length, width, and number, plant height, root length, dry biomass, and percent water composition. LDPE treatment decreased dry biomass in new Promix soil and exacerbated the negative soil effects on leaf length and number. HDPE decreased height, root length, and dry biomass overall, but its effects varied by soil group. Additionally, old and new Promix treatments were frequently significantly different when their controls were not. LDPE has more negative effects than HDPE, depending on soil type.

Comments

Ella Beaghen, Abigail Kane, and Leilani M. SantoDomingo contributed equally to the data.

Recommended Citation

Walsh, Noah P.; Beaghen, Ella; Kane, Abigail; SantoDomingo, Leilani M.; Watson, Daniel; and Baer, Christina S., "Data for: "Polyethylene polymer type and soil properties determine impacts of microplastic pollution on arugula growth"" (2024). First-Year Research Immersion (FRI) Scholarship. 1.
https://orb.binghamton.edu/fri_scholarship/1

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.