Hydrogel and its effect on soil moisture status and plant growth: A review

Abstract

More than 60% of net cultivated area of India comes under the dryland condition and more than 30% of the area faces the problem of insufficient rainfall. To overcome this problem, Hydrogel may prove as a convenient and eco-friendly feasible option to achieve the goal of crop productivity under conditions of water scarcity. Hydrogels can absorb and hold rain water and irrigation water and therefore help to reduce deep percolation by using gravitational water as well as capillary water. Application of hydrogel to soil improves growth and yield attributing characters of different field, ornamental and vegetable crops has been reported. It can be directly applied in the soil at the time of sowing of field crops and near the root zone of nursery plantation. For almost all types of crops in relation to soil type and climate of the country, a very low application rate of hydrogel i.e.2.5-5.0 Kg/ha is effective. They are not only used for moisture conservation, but also have enormous potential to maintain physico-chemical properties like bulk density, porosity, temperature, water holding capacity, CEC etc. and biological properties like microbial environment of the soil. Agricultural hydrogels are eco-friendly, because they are naturally degraded over a period of time, without leaving any toxic residue in the soil and plants. Hence use of hydrogel as a soil conditioner will be a productive option for increasing sustainable agricultural production in moisture-stressed environment.