Prospects and Applications of Hydrogel Technology in Agriculture

Hydrogel is basically a water absorbing polymer, which are classified as cross-linked, absorb aqueous solutions through hydrogen bonding with water molecules. Agricultural hydrogels are referred to as water retention granules because they swell to many times their original size when they come in contact with water. It has been widely proposed over the last 40 years for agricultural use with the aim to ameliorate water availability for plants, by increasing water holding properties of growing media (soils or soilless substrates). Most of the area of India is located in arid and semiarid Regions, more efficient use of water is essential in the field of agriculture. Implementing proper management practices in agriculture to maintain soil moisture and increase water holding capacity is considered as one of the ways to save water. Super absorbent polymers (SAPs) hydrogel can swell to absorb huge volume of water or aqueous solution. This property has lead to many practical applications of these new materials in particularly in agriculture for improving water retention of soils and the water supply of plants. The relative effectiveness of the hydrogels depends upon chemical properties of the hydrogel, such as molecular weight, and the hydrogel properties tend to have differing effects on various soil properties. This is a short review on applications of hydrogel in agriculture.