Abstract
The availability of limited irrigation water in rainfed regions is the most challenging constraint to harvest
the maximum agronomic benefits. The adaptation of smart water-saving techniques is desperate to combat soil
moisture stress and soil quality. The application of hydrogels to conserve soil moisture and plant nutrients to
satisfy the crop needs is considered one of the most efficient strategies. Keeping in view the peculiar benefits
of hydrogels, an experiment was planned and executed in rainfed areas to quantify the potential benefits of
hydrogels for the conservation of soil moisture and restoration of soil fertility under wheat production
compared with various conventional soil amendments. The treatments were: T1 (Control), T2 Farmyard
manure @ 2500 kg ha-1
, T3 Compost @ 750 kg ha-1
, T4 Gypsum @ 1000 kg ha-1
, T5 Hydrogel @ 15 kg ha-1
. The
findings of this experiment revealed that soil moisture retention increased from 27 to 73% compared with
control (untreated soil) and the application of soil amendments enhanced the soil NO3-N (6 to 24 mg kg-1
),
P2O5 (4.75 to 11 mg kg-1
), and K2O (93.50 to 115.25 mg kg-1
), respectively, by farmyard manure, compost,
gypsum and hydrogel under specified doses. The wheat grain yield increased from 2165 to 3760 kg ha-1
. This
study has provided preliminary results regarding the use of hydrogels in a field experiment in rainfed areas of
Pakistan. Further studies are required to investigate the performance of various hydrogels under variable
environments before recommending to the farmers.
Aftab Ahmad Shaikh, Obaid ur Rehman, Muhammad Rashid, Sarosh Alvi, Abad Raza, Abdul-Waheed, Muhammad Irfan, Shahid Saleem, Muhammad MuddassirIqbal, Ghulam Mujtaba. (2020) Potentials of hydrogels in rainfed soil to conserve soil moisture and fertility to maximize the wheat yield, The Journal Soil & Environment , Volume 39, Issue 2.
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