Effect of hydrogel application on survival and growth of pine seedlings in reclamations

Sarvaš, M.; Pavlenda, Pavel; Takáčová, E.

doi:10.17221/2178-jfs

Cited by 74 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…For instance, Sarvaš et al [22] observed high mortality (64%) of pine seedlings caused by an overdose of hydrogel. Shooshtarian et al [23] attributed a high seedling mortality rate in hydrogel-amended soil to a reduction of free air space resulting from the swelling of the hydrogel and the consequent reduction in soil aeration.…”

Section: Super Absorbent Polymers or Hydrogelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reduction in Water Stress for Tree Saplings Using Hydrogels in Soil

Kargar¹,

Suresh²,

Legrand³

et al. 2017

GEP

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The effect of soil amendment with hydrogel on reducing water stress was tested for Siberian elm (Ulmus pumila) and silver maple (Acer saccharinum) saplings. The trees were planted in soils with one of two concentrations of hydrogel (0.5% or 1% dry weight) as compared to the control soil (0% of hydrogel) and watered either daily, weekly, or bi-weekly. Growth was monitored by measuring height and stem diameter. Stress was monitored by measuring SPAD readings and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), as proxy measures of chlorophyll content and photosynthetic activity, respectively. Water stress decreased NDVI (p < 0.05) but did not have a significant effect on SPAD readings. Soil with 0.5% concentration of hydrogel was positively associated with greater height and NDVI (p < 0.01) for both maple and elm trees. Hydrogels had a species-specific effect on SPAD readings. The interaction between hydrogel concentration and the watering regime had a significant effect on the height and NDVI (p < 0.01) of elms, but not maples. The improved performance of water-stressed tree saplings in hydrogel-amended soils was presumably due to the ability of hydrogels to absorb and then gradually release water and nutrients. This is of special interest for urban foresters, because water stress and nutrient deficiency are two important growthlimiting factors for street trees.

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Section: Super Absorbent Polymers or Hydrogelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reduction in Water Stress for Tree Saplings Using Hydrogels in Soil

Kargar¹,

Suresh²,

Legrand³

et al. 2017

GEP

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“…Some studies have shown that addition of SAPs reduces the sensitivity of plants to water shortage and increases crop production (Silberbush et al, 1993;Singh, 1998;Viero et al, 2002;Han et al, 2005) or at least enhances plant growth at the early stages of production (Frantz et al, 2005). Conversely, other studies have either reported no saving of water and effects on wilting point (Ingram and Yeager, 1987;Chatzoudis and Rigas, 1999), or that there were detrimental effects on plant survival and yield (Sarvaš et al, 2007;Han et al, 2010).…”

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confidence: 95%

Superabsorbent Polymer Properties and Concentration Effects on Water Retention under Drying Conditions

Jian¹,

Shi²,

Ma³

et al. 2017

Soil Science Society of America Journal

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Superabsorbent polymer (SAP) efficiency in water absorption and release depends on soil properties and SAP type and concentration. Our objective was to examine the effects of soil texture, SAP concentration and properties on water absorption and release from soil-SAP mixtures during 10 h of drying. Four SAP types, five SAP concentrations, and five soils were used. Initial water quantity absorbed by SAPs (53-171 g g -1 of SAP) was more than two orders of magnitude greater than that absorbed by soils (0.35-0.53 g g -1 of soil). Water absorption by soil-SAP mixtures (i) significantly improved water holding capacity relative to the soil, and (ii) increased with an increase in SAP concentration and soil clay content. The ability of soil-SAP mixtures to retain water after 5 h of drying relative to the initial water content was greater than that of the soils alone, especially in coarse-textured soils. After 5 h of drying, the specific amount of water retained by a unit weight of SAP in the soil-SAP mixture was higher than that at 0 h. This observation suggests a continued absorption of water by SAPs from soils during the first 5 h of drying. The fraction of water loss from SAP with large-size beads (BJ-2101M) was smallest in all the mixtures among the four SAPs after 10 h drying. Our results showed that addition of SAPs to soils not only decreases water loss to evaporation from soils but also from the SAPs, especially for a SAP with large size beads.Abbreviations: SAP, superabsorbent polymer; EC, electrical conductivity; SAR, sodium adsorption ratio. M any soils from arid and semiarid regions having low clay and organic matter contents are characterized by low water holding capacity and poor efficiency of water and fertilizer use by crops. These problems are aggravated in Northwest China where summer temperatures are high, and rainfall is characterized by irregular distribution and high intensity, shorter duration of rain thus causing a large portion of the rain water to drain deep below the root zone (Wang et al., 2002;Fan et al., 2005). These problems require the use of an integrated approach that includes agronomic water-saving techniques, and appropriate management practices (Huang et al., 2003;Yu et al., 2011). The use of water absorbing polymers (i.e., hydrogels) or superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) such as polyacrylates cross-linked with polyacrylamides (PAM) can effectively improve the top soil's ability to store water available for plant growth and production (Buchholz, 1998;Burke et al., 2010;Yu et al., 2011), and reduce seepage of water, and fertilizer and heavy metal leaching down the soil profile (Lentz, 2007;Qu and Varennes, 2009).Mixing SAPs with soils has been found to (i) decrease soil bulk density (similar to organic matter function) and penetration resistance, (ii) increase soil aggregation, porosity, aeration and water retention capacity (Huttermann et al., 1999;Akhter et al., 2004;Busscher et al., 2009;Bai et al., 2010;Han et al., 2010), (iii) decrease soil saturated hydraulic conductivity and drainag...

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“…Hydrogels can absorb a volume of water 400 times their own weight (Bouranis et al 1995), and due to this high water-holding capacity (Chatzoudis and Rigas 1999) they have been used successfully in agriculture and forest restoration as soil amendments (Viero et al 2000;Günes 2007). Nevertheless, an overdose of hydrogels can produce negative effects in some cases (Sarvaš et al 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%