Considering the vital requirement for efficient water and nutrient utilization to enhance crop production, it is necessary to implement effective strategies for managing these resources. NPK-loaded chitosan-carboxymethyl cellulose (CC/NPK) hydrogel beads were developed as an approach to enhance water and nutrient management. CC/NPK, a hydrogel with a biodegradable polymeric backbone impregnated with NPK, enhances plant growth through controlled nutrient delivery. For the CC/NPK hydrogel synthesis, CC beads were loaded with NPK, achieving a loading capacity of 94%. CC/NPK releases nutrients gradually over 20 days in water and has a water adsorption of about 38.5% in distilled water. After exposure to dry conditions, absorbed moisture was progressively released over 7 days. When placed in soil, over 80% of the hydrogel decomposed in 3 months via soil microbes. The plant study revealed that the CC/NPK hydrogel, having 25% of the conventional dose of NPK, exhibited better plant growth than conventional fertilizers.
E. et al. (Wed,) studied this question.