Mulch Film Degradation and Microplastic Generation in UK Soil Over 12 Months

North Wales, UK, hosts a 12-month field experiment measuring the degradation and microplastic generation of seven plastic mulch films exposed above and below ground. The dataset includes associated soil properties, environmental data, and material property measurements, with microbial community data deposited separately. Data was collected by the Environmental Information Data Centre and is accessible via a DOI.

Use Cases

• Modeling plastic mulch degradation rates based on exposure conditions and material properties mentioned in the description.
• Analyzing microplastic generation from agricultural films based on the 12-month field experiment data.
• Studying the impact of soil fauna on plastic degradation based on the mesh bag experimental setup described.
• Correlating soil property changes with plastic film exposure based on the associated environmental measurements.

Strengths

• Data originates from a controlled 12-month field experiment with a defined methodology.
• Covers seven different mulch films under both above-ground and below-ground exposure conditions.
• Includes associated soil, environmental, and material property data as described.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to a single location in North Wales, UK.

Provenance

Source

Environmental Information Data Centre

Collection Method

Field experiment with mulch films exposed above and below ground in fine or coarse mesh bags.

Time Range

Experiment duration of 12 months.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-02 19:18:02.616541; freshness should be verified.

Geography

North Wales, UK.