Hydrogel Polymer
Water absorbing polymers, which are delegated hydrogels when cross-connected, retain watery arrangements through hydrogen bonding with water atoms. In de-ionized and de-mineralized water, a SAP may assimilate 300 times its weight (from 30 to 60 times its own volume).
Hydrogel polymer is a water absorption agent that once added to the soil or substrate will absorb and retain large quantities of water and nutrients, nearly up to 400 times its own weight.
This aqua absorbent act as a reservoir of water and will only use the reserved resource at the time of need, allowing a better agricultural yield. Hydrogel polymer is known as a “mini-reservoir” for plants. Hydrogel has a unique mechanism to absorb and retain water, discharging it only when the crop demands for it otherwise it does not lose out on the moisture level.
Hydrogel polymer helps in:
1. Increasing the water holding and retention capacity of the soil
2. It limits water and nutrient loss through soil leaching
3. Reducing evaporation rate
4. Improves the physical properties of soil by enhancing aeration (airflow)
5. Enhances plant growth by providing water and nutrients to the root zone of the plants
6. Helps in the long term protection of environment against drought and groundwater contamination
Hydrogel uses:
1. Prevent dehydration of the seedlings
2. Reduce transplanting shock and thereby reduce mortality rate of plants
3. Mixed with cellulose mulch, it helps in stabilizing newly graded soils which are able to maintain a minimum amount of surface water
4. Used in large scale farming where it increases soil aeration enhancing germination and development of roots
5. Hydrogel Polymer when mixed with fertilizers, it can stably provide fertile nutrients to the roots for a longer period
6. Reduces water stress by reducing irrigation frequencies by 30% — 50 %
Chemtex Speciality Limited globally markets Hydrogel under the registered trade name of ALSTA HYDROGEL ®.
Unlike other products that become hydrated, ALSTA HYDROGEL ® has the property to easily release the absorbed water and nutrients under the osmotic pressure from plants. The water absorbent gel allows the plant to have water and nutrients available at their will as a functional absorption and release cycle. The product has the ability to absorb over 400 times to up to 800 times of water of its own weight which means that a kilogram of ALSTA HYDROGEL ® can withhold 400–800 litres of water.
This product is effective for water utilization in agricultural and horticultural crops in areas with little or negligible amount of rainfall and under limited irrigation conditions. It offers huge economic viability to open cultivation and is a boon to dry states and the future generation of farming.
