Smart Soil Boosts Crop Size by 138% and Cuts Water Use by 40%

Smart Soil Boosts Crop Size by 138% and Cuts Water Use by 40%

Watering and fertilizing crops to meet global food demands is a significant challenge in agriculture. Scientists at the University of Texas at Austin have now developed a “smart soil” that enhances plant hydration and provides a controlled nutrient release. Tests show it significantly improves crop growth while using much less water.
A new “smart soil” infused with hydrogel allows crops to grow larger with less water. Credit: Pixabay

Watering and fertilizing crops to meet global food demands is a significant challenge in agriculture. Scientists at the University of Texas at Austin have now developed a “smart soil” that enhances plant hydration and provides a controlled nutrient release. Tests show it significantly improves crop growth while using much less water.

An estimated 70% of the world’s freshwater is used for agriculture. This makes it difficult to grow crops in water-scarce regions, leading scientists to explore ways to increase efficiency.

Smart Soil with Hydrogel Technology

Building on previous research, the new study represents a significant advancement.

The soil is termed “smart” due to a specially formulated hydrogel, which absorbs more water vapor from the air at night and releases it to the plants’ roots during the day.

Adding calcium chloride to the hydrogel also ensures a slow release of this nutrient.

A diagram of how the hydrogel works to improve the growth of crops
University of Texas at Austin

Lab Experiments Demonstrate Smart Soil Efficiency

The team conducted lab experiments with the new smart soil, growing plants in 10 grams of soil, with some samples containing 0.1 grams of hydrogel.

They simulated a day/night cycle, with 12 hours of darkness at 25 °C (77 °F) and 60% or 90% relative humidity, followed by 12 hours of simulated sunlight at 35 °C (95 °F) and 30% humidity.

The results showed that plants grown in the hydrogel soil experienced a 138% increase in stem length compared to the control group. Notably, these hydrogel-grown plants achieved this growth while using 40% less direct watering.

A batch of crops grown in the lab using the new hydrogel-infused smart soil
University of Texas at Austin

The global water scarcity, combined with a growing population, has an immediate impact on food security,” said Guihua Yu, the study’s corresponding author.

This new class of hydrogels provides a promising solution to address the urgent needs of water conservation and efficient nutrient uptake in modern sustainable agriculture.”

To conclude, in future research, the team plans to incorporate different types of fertilizers and conduct extended field experiments.


Read the original article on: New Atlas

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