Effect of hydrogels on moisture storage of irrigated automorphic soils in Uzbekistan

Abstract

An experimental study on the development of water-conserving irrigation technology with the use of super swelling hydrogels synthesized out of local raw material has been conducted for three years under the condition of arid automorphic soils of western Uzbekistan. The development of new and affordable water-conserving technologies is critical for the sustainable development of irrigated agriculture in arid zones that severely affected by growing water scarcity. The experiments were aimed at determining the properties of hydrogels, establishing quantitative indicators of the water-holding ability of automorphic soils depending on the methods, norms, and time of application of highly swellable polymer hydrogels under conditions of cotton cultivation. The experiments were conducted under conditions of the irrigated by lifted water automorphic soils and cultivation of the Andijan-35 cotton variety. Results of the study show that use of highly swellable polymer hydrogels with a norm of 50 kg/ha under traditional agrotechnology conditions in conditions of automorphic soils based on improved traditional furrow irrigation technology allows reducing water consumption for irrigation by 15-17% in the first year, by 12-14% in the second year and by 9-11% in the third year of experiments. Due to the longer duration of moisture conservation in the soil, the period between irrigations is extended by 10-12 days, the number of irrigations is reduced.