Abstract
The use of some novel and efficient crop nutrient-based superabsorbent hydrogel nanocomposites (SHNCs), is currently becoming increasingly important to improve the crop yield and productivity, due to their water retention properties. In the present study a poly(Acrylamide-co-acrylic acid)/AlZnFe2O4 superabsorbent hydrogel nanocomposite was synthesized and its physical properties characterized using Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX), FE-SEM and FTIR spectroscopic techniques. The effects of different levels of SHNC were studied to evaluate the moisture retention properties of sandy loam soil (sand 59%, silt 21%, clay 19%, pH 7.4, EC 1.92 dS/m). The soil amendment with 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4 w/w% of SHNC enhanced the moisture retention significantly at field capacity compared to the untreated soil. Besides, in a separate experiment, seed germination and seedling growth of wheat was found to be notably improved with the application of SHNC. A delay in wilting of seedlings by 5–8 days was observed for SHNC-amended soil, thereby improving wheat plant growth and establishment.
Highlights
The shortage of irrigation water, drought, deforestation and soil erosion are one of the major problems of agriculture around the globe
Keeping in view the soil moisture retention and micronutrient requirements, a novel poly(acrylamide-co-acrylic acid)/AlZnFe2O4 superabsorbent hydrogel nanocomposite was synthesized for agricultural use
The Scanning Electron Micrograph of AlZnFe2O4 nanocomposite shows the particle size to be around 50 nm (Figure 3)
Summary
The shortage of irrigation water, drought, deforestation and soil erosion are one of the major problems of agriculture around the globe. Prolonged periods of drought can cause environmental, agricultural and economic problems leading to social unrest and humanitarian crisis. In recent years, crosslinked polymers with hydrophilic nature, known as superabsorbent polymers (SAPs), have attracted much interest in this area as they can improve water and fertilizer retention in soil and increase plant growth [1]. Soil amendments with SAPs can improve plant establishment in drought prone areas [2]. The desired features of superabsorbents for agriculture purposes include high swelling rate, swelling capacity, and reswellibility. These features are dependent on structure of the polymer network, particle size and porosity. The larger surface area of swollen particles can provide more voids in the soil matrix which can enhance soil breathing [3,4]
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