"Smart soil" grows 138% bigger crops using 40% less water
Scientists at the University of Texas at Austin create "smart soil" with hydrogel boosting crop growth by 40% less water. Hydrogel absorbs and releases water and nutrients, showing 138% stem length increase. Published in ACS Materials Letters, promising for sustainable agriculture.
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Scientists at the University of Texas at Austin have developed a "smart soil" infused with hydrogel that significantly enhances crop growth while reducing water usage by 40%. This innovation addresses the challenge of providing enough food with limited water resources in agriculture. The hydrogel in the soil absorbs water vapor from the air overnight and releases it to the plant roots during the day, along with a slow release of nutrients like calcium chloride. Lab experiments showed a 138% increase in stem length for plants grown in the hydrogel-infused soil compared to the control group. This advancement offers a promising solution to global water scarcity and efficient nutrient uptake in sustainable agriculture. Future research will explore incorporating different fertilizers and conducting longer field experiments. The study was published in the journal ACS Materials Letters.
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