Superabsorbent Polymers as a Soil Amendment for Increasing Agriculture Production with Reducing Water Losses under Water Stress Condition

Abstract

With an increasing population, world agriculture is facing many challenges, such as climate change, urbanization, the use of natural resources in a sustainable manner, runoff losses, and the accumulation of pesticides and fertilizers. The global water shortage is a crisis for agriculture, because drought is one of the natural disasters that affect the farmers as well as their country’s social, economic, and environmental status. The application of soil amendments is a strategy to mitigate the adverse impact of drought stress. The development of agronomic strategies enabling the reduction in drought stress in cultivated crops is, therefore, a crucial priority. Superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) can be used as an amendment for soil health improvement, ultimately improving water holding capacity and plant available water. These are eco-friendly and non-toxic materials, which have incredible water absorption ability and water holding capacity in the soil because of their unique biochemical and structural properties. Polymers can retain water more than their weight in water and achieve approximately 95% water release. SAP improve the soil like porosity (0.26–6.91%), water holding capacity (5.68–17.90%), and reduce nitrogen leaching losses from soil by up to 45%. This review focuses on the economic assessment of the adoption of superabsorbent polymers and brings out the discrepancies associated with the influence of SAPs application in the context of different textured soil, presence of drought, and their adoption by farmers.

Changes in phytochemical properties and water use efficiency of peppermint (Mentha piperita L.) using superabsorbent polymer under drought stress

“…Due to the superabsorbent’s high capacity for absorbing and storing water in the soil, this phenomenon occurred. As a result of the addition of superabsorbent polymers to soil, the physical and structural properties of soil were modified 36 , 37 .…”

Water-Retaining Polymer and Planting Pit Size on Chlorophyll Index, Gas Exchange and Yield of Sour Passion Fruit with Deficit Irrigation

“…The highest net photosynthetic rates observed in Figure 6 b are due to the fact that larger pit volumes allow for greater growth of lateral roots of the plants, providing greater absorption of irrigation water, since the highest concentrations of sour passion fruit roots are present at 0.60 cm from the stem, and the largest pit volume of the present study is 0.64 dm 3 . This provided a greater contact area of the roots with water, due to the greater soil moisture provided by the application of the water-retaining polymer that acts by reducing water losses and increasing the availability of water, which can positively affect the net photosynthetic rate by supplying electrons from the photolysis of H 2 O molecules [ 14 , 19 , 37 ].…”

“…The greater stomatal opening observed in the sour passion fruit irrigated with a depth of 70% ETc in the smallest pit volume and a water depth of 100% ETc in the pit with the largest volume with a dose of 1.06 g of the polymer ( Figure 7 ) is related to the greater availability of water provided by the water-retaining polymer [ 4 , 13 , 14 ], that is, when water in the soil is not a limiting factor, the sap flow is high between the conducting vessels and the aerial part, stimulating stomatal opening and a greater frequency of water flow into the atmosphere [ 38 , 39 ].…”

Current Knowledge, Research Progress, and Future Prospects of Phyto-Synthesized Nanoparticles Interactions with Food Crops under Induced Drought Stress

“…Silver nanoparticles are potent candidates for applying phyto-synthesized NPs in agriculture [18,[20][21][22][23]. Silver nanoparticles have been shown to enhance the water retention capacity of soils, reducing water loss through evaporation and increasing water availability for plant uptake during dry periods [24][25][26].…”