Effect of two polymers on corn (Zea mays L.) growth and water economy in sandy soils

About 3.5 billion ha of land, which amounts to almost 30% of the total solid land of the world, has been degraded by human activities. The ecological restoration of these lands is a major challenge for mankind since they are the only option left for increasing the amount of arable land and producing food for the ever growing worldwide population. One common feature of these degraded lands is the fact that their organic soil matter is degraded also. Rainfall therefore, changes from a blessing to a menace since it is not kept in the soil and therefore causes erosion. A solution for the restoration of these lands could be the application of superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) to these soils. These substances are like ‘artificial humus’ as they are hydrophilic and contain carboxylic groups. This enables them to bind cations and water. They have the following advantages for the restoration of degraded lands. They increase the plant available water in the soil which enables the plants to survive longer under water stress. SAP amendment to soils reduces the evapotranspiration rate of the plants. They induce a significantly higher growth rate in plants growing on SAP amended soil. They bind heavy metals and mitigate their action on plants. They mitigate the effects of salinity. The benefits of SAP amendment to soils substantially outweigh their costs.

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“…SAPs were successfully applied and reduced water stress in the following plant species; citrus [45], corn [46,47,48,49], the tree species…”

Section: Saps and Water Stressmentioning

confidence: 99%

Application of Superabsorbent Polymers for Improving the Ecological Chemistry of Degraded or Polluted Lands

Hüttermann¹,

Orikiriza

Agaba

2009

CLEAN Soil Air Water

195

122

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“…44 From an economic point of view, agricultural hydrogels should be evaluated through the growth and other responses of plants. Therefore, the effect of the sandy soil treated with different types and various amounts of the prepared hydrogels on the emergence and vegetative growth of corn plants was investigated.…”

Section: Using the Prepared Hydrogels In Agriculturementioning

confidence: 99%

Radiation synthesis of hydrogels to enhance sandy soils water retention and increase plant performance

El‐Rehim

Hegazy

El‐Mohdy

2004

J of Applied Polymer Sci

161

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Preparation and characterization of superabsorbent hydrogels obtained by radiation induced crosslinking of polyacrylamide (PAAm), poly(acrylic acid) (PAAc), poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), and potassium polyacrylate (PAAcK) were investigated individually and in (PAAm)-binary systems for possible uses in agricultural fields. The swelling of the investigated hydrogels was mainly related to the type of their hydrophilic functional groups and/or the presence of polarized charges. The preparation conditions, such as irradiation dose and hydrogel blend compositions, that influence the water absorbency of PAAm/PAAcK copolymers and alter their gel content and crosslinking density were investigated. The higher the irradiation dose, the higher the gel content, and the lower the water absorbency. PAAm/PAAcK copolymer, possessing pore structure and fast swelling, was prepared by mixing the hydrogel components with a gas-forming agent, namely, ammonium carbonate. Studies were also made on the applications of such hydrogels to improve the physical and water retention properties of sandy soil for agricultural purposes. The effect of different types and amounts of hydrogels added to sandy soil on the emergence, vegetative growth, and wilting time of corn (Zea mays) plants was investigated. As the hydrogel level increased, the average of plant height, leaf width, total dry weight, corncob production, and time to wilt increased. The obtained results suggested that the PAAm/PAAcK hydrogels can improve sandy soil properties for cultivation, because they often absorb and keep water one thousand times more than their own weight, reduce watering frequency of the plants, and enhance water retention of soil matrix that results in an increase in plant growth and performance.

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“…Hydrophilic polymers are used to increase the water holding capacity of coarse textured soils (1,2,3). These polymers are insoluble in water, and can swell to form gels that contain water many times their weight.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Remediation of Sandy Soil Artificially Contaminated With Cadmium Using a Polyacrylate Polymer

Lindim¹,

Varennes²,

Torres³

et al. 2001

Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis

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Soil pollution with toxic metals has become an important social and environmental challenge. When the polluted area is large and the site poses little immediate risk to health or environment, in situ remediation technologies can be envisaged. Here we used a polyacrylate polymer to immobilize cadmium (Cd) in a sandy soil artificially contaminated with the metal. Growth of perennial ryegrass in pots with 9.5 kg of soil was stimulated in polymeramended soil. Even in pots with the highest levels of Cd, growth was much less impaired than in pots without polymer. Shoot Cd concentrations were smaller in the plants cultivated in the amended soil. Because water soluble Cd was considerably reduced in the contaminated polymer-amended soil, the effect of the polymer on plant growth was attributed to the decrease of Cd concentration in soil solution. 1567

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Effect of two polymers on corn (Zea mays L.) growth and water economy in sandy soils

Cited by 5 publications

References 4 publications

Application of Superabsorbent Polymers for Improving the Ecological Chemistry of Degraded or Polluted Lands

Application of Superabsorbent Polymers for Improving the Ecological Chemistry of Degraded or Polluted Lands

Radiation synthesis of hydrogels to enhance sandy soils water retention and increase plant performance

Remediation of Sandy Soil Artificially Contaminated With Cadmium Using a Polyacrylate Polymer

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