Hydrogels for agronomical application: from soil characteristics to crop growth: a review

IF 6.4 1区 农林科学 Q1 AGRONOMY Agronomy for Sustainable Development Pub Date : 2024-04-11 DOI:10.1007/s13593-024-00958-4
Ilaria Piccoli, Carlo Camarotto, Andrea Squartini, Matteo Longo, Silvia Gross, Michele Maggini, Miguel Lorenzo Cabrera, Francesco Morari
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Abstract

In a growing world population scenario, greater demand for food and in turn agricultural input is expected in the coming decades. The development of innovative sustainable amendments and fertilizers such as hydrogels (HGs) relies on this context. HGs are defined as 3D polymeric networks with the ability to absorb and retain a large amount of water (i.e., swellability). HGs swellability makes them ideal platforms for water- and nutrient-controlled release. The literature reflects a notable diversity in HGs composition, properties, and impacts on agroecosystems, resulting in the dissemination of information across multiple publications. Within this context, the primary aim of this scientific review is to systematically compile, critically evaluate, and synthesize the latest findings and relevant literature pertaining to the application of HGs in agroecosystems. We found that this class of materials was consistently found on soil bulk density, crop available water, soil electrical conductivity, cation exchange capacity and main cereal or legume crops performances particularly under moderate water deficit conditions, suggesting their effectiveness for arid and semi- arid areas. Encouraging results were also found on pesticide, agrochemicals, and microorganisms delivering. Thus, the delivery of agronomic inputs with loaded-HG may play a key role in forthcoming agriculture that would minimize the agronomic impact on the environment. Nevertheless, some critical issues still remain open, concerning: (i) the decreased of HG effectiveness following wetting and drying cycles, (ii) the impact of Na+ contained in HG on crop cells, (iii) the HG effect on soil saturated hydraulic conductivity and pH, and (iv) HG biodegradability and their fate into the environment. In conclusion, HGs seem a promising technology to reach/maintain food security and soil health, but future research should address the development of well-defined protocols for producing biowaste-derived HG that will ensure their biodegradability and non-toxicity and will disclose new insights into a circular economy approach agronomy. One of the biggest challenges would be the synthesis of “smart” HG able to respond to environmental stimuli triggering molecule(s) release in soil.

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农用水凝胶:从土壤特性到作物生长:综述
在世界人口不断增长的情况下,预计未来几十年对粮食和农业投入的需求将会增加。水凝胶(HGs)等创新型可持续添加剂和肥料的开发正是基于这一背景。水凝胶被定义为具有大量吸水和保水能力(即膨胀性)的三维聚合物网络。HGs 的膨胀性使其成为控制水分和养分释放的理想平台。文献反映出 HGs 的组成、特性和对农业生态系统的影响具有显著的多样性,导致信息在多种出版物中传播。在此背景下,本科学综述的主要目的是系统地汇编、批判性评估和综合有关农业生态系统中 HGs 应用的最新研究成果和相关文献。我们发现,这一类材料对土壤容重、作物可用水量、土壤电导率、阳离子交换容量以及主要谷物或豆类作物的表现都有持续的影响,尤其是在中等缺水条件下,这表明它们对干旱和半干旱地区非常有效。农药、农用化学品和微生物的施用也取得了令人鼓舞的结果。因此,在即将到来的农业生产中,使用加载的氢化组传递农艺投入可能会发挥关键作用,从而最大限度地减少农艺对环境的影响。尽管如此,一些关键问题仍有待解决,包括:(i) HG 在湿润和干燥循环后的效力下降;(ii) HG 中所含 Na+ 对作物细胞的影响;(iii) HG 对土壤饱和导水性和 pH 值的影响;(iv) HG 的生物降解性及其在环境中的归宿。总之,HG 似乎是实现/维护粮食安全和土壤健康的一项很有前途的技术,但未来的研究应针对生物废弃物衍生 HG 的生产制定明确的规程,以确保其生物降解性和无毒性,并揭示循环经济农艺学的新见解。最大的挑战之一是合成 "聪明 "的 HG,使其能够对引发土壤中分子释放的环境刺激做出反应。
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来源期刊
Agronomy for Sustainable Development
Agronomy for Sustainable Development 农林科学-农艺学
CiteScore
10.70
自引率
8.20%
发文量
108
审稿时长
3 months
期刊介绍: Agronomy for Sustainable Development (ASD) is a peer-reviewed scientific journal of international scope, dedicated to publishing original research articles, review articles, and meta-analyses aimed at improving sustainability in agricultural and food systems. The journal serves as a bridge between agronomy, cropping, and farming system research and various other disciplines including ecology, genetics, economics, and social sciences. ASD encourages studies in agroecology, participatory research, and interdisciplinary approaches, with a focus on systems thinking applied at different scales from field to global levels. Research articles published in ASD should present significant scientific advancements compared to existing knowledge, within an international context. Review articles should critically evaluate emerging topics, and opinion papers may also be submitted as reviews. Meta-analysis articles should provide clear contributions to resolving widely debated scientific questions.
期刊最新文献
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