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Hydrogels in Agriculture: Prospects and Challenges

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Abstract

Hydrogels retain substantial quantities of both water and nutrients within their three dimensional polymeric network. As such they have the ability to modify the local micro-environment of seeds/seedlings to enhance their growth outcomes. In terms of both safety and sustainability, the use of natural biopolymer based hydrogels is more advantageous. The network structure of hydrogels is typically formed by physical interaction and/or chemical crosslinking between polymer chains. The nature, strength and extent of crosslinking can be tailored to customize gel properties (such as mechanical strength, porosity and swelling behaviour) to suit a given type of application. This review highlights the use of hydrogels in agriculture where they (i) provide drought resistance to crops, (ii) act as reservoirs for critical nutrients, (iii) function as seed coating agents and (iv) improve transplantation success rate. The biodegradability and environmental compatibility of hydrogels for a range of applications in the farming sector is also discussed. Finally, the challenges of modifying hydrogels to suit specific agricultural applications are elaborated including issues that need to be overcome to exploit the full potential of these novel soft materials in sustainable farming practices of the future.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are thankful to Deakin University, Geelong, Australia for providing all infrastructural and analytical support as an incubation centre at TERI-Deakin Nanobiotechnology Center (TDNBC), TERI, India. The Science and Engineering Research Board and Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Govt. of India is duly acknowledged for providing necessary financial support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Center for Excellence in Agriculture Nanotechnology, TERI-Deakin Nanobiotechnology Center, Gwal Pahari, Gurugram, NCR, 122001, India

    Prabhpreet Kaur, Ruchi Agrawal & Himadri B. Bohidar

  2. School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong Waurn Ponds Campus, Melbourne, VIC, 3216, Australia

    Frederick M. Pfeffer

  3. The Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, School of Medicine, Deakin University, Geelong Waurn Ponds Campus, Melbourne, VIC, 3216, Australia

    Richard Williams

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  1. Prabhpreet Kaur
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  5. Himadri B. Bohidar
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the conceptualization of the study. Prabhpreet Kaur prepared the first draft and Ruchi Agrawal, Himadri B. Bohidar, Frederick M. Pfeffer and Richard Williams critically reviewed and edited the manuscript. All authors have read the manuscript and provided feedback for scientific and grammatical revisions.

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Correspondence to Himadri B. Bohidar.

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Kaur, P., Agrawal, R., Pfeffer, F.M. et al. Hydrogels in Agriculture: Prospects and Challenges. J Polym Environ 31, 3701–3718 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10924-023-02859-1

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