Kapsikorya Hillary2026-08-252026-08-252026-08-25Kapsikorya Hillaryhttps://bdears.busitema.ac.ug/handle/123456789/9146Microplastic (MP) contamination is increasingly recognized as a threat to soil health, yet data from low‑resource agricultural regions remain scarce. This study assessed microplastic contamination in soils from Irish potato farms in Kween District, Uganda. Soil samples were collected from three distinct locations representing different potential contamination sources: an irrigation channel, a waste dump site, and where fertilizers are mostly used. Microplastics were extracted using density separation after oxidative digestion of organic matter with 30% H₂O₂. Extracted particles were identified by Fourier Transform Infrared (FT‑IR) spectroscopy, and the resulting spectra were interpreted using a reference table of characteristic wavenumbers for common polymers (PE, PP, PS, and PET). All three samples contained microplastics, but each showed a different polymer type. The irrigated soil exhibited C=O carbonyl stretching (1716 cm⁻¹) and C–O ester stretching (1245 cm⁻¹), which can be attributed to Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) contamination, likely from synthetic textile microfibers or bottle fragments transported by water. The dump soil displayed the characteristic CH₂ rocking doublet at 730 and 717 cm⁻¹, along with C–H stretches near 2920 and 2850 cm⁻¹, which can be attributed to Polyethylene (PE) contamination from fragmented agricultural films and general plastic waste. The fertilizer soil showed CH₃ rocking peaks at 997 and 972 cm⁻¹ and a CH₃ asymmetry band at 1458 cm⁻¹, which can be attributed to Polypropylene (PP) contamination probably originating from plastic fertilizer bags or polymer‑coated fertilizers. These findings confirm that agricultural soils in Kween District are contaminated with microplastics, with polymer types reflecting local land use practices. The presence of PE, PP, and PET poses potential risks to soil structure, biota, and crop safety. This study provides essential baseline data to inform sustainable farming and waste management policies in Ugandaen-USBook