نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی

نویسندگان

1 استادیار مؤسسه تحقیقات فنی و مهندسی کشاورزی، سازمان تحقیقات، آموزش و ترویج کشاورزی، کرج، ایران

2 استاد مؤسسه تحقیقات فنی و مهندسی کشاورزی، سازمان تحقیقات، آموزش و ترویج کشاورزی، کرج، ایران

3 استادیار موسسه تحقیقات فنی و مهندسی کشاورزی، سازمان تحقیقات، آموزش و ترویج کشاورزی، کرج، ایران

چکیده

یکی از مهم­ترین چالش­های حال و آینده، به ویژه در مناطق خشک جهان، کم ­آبی است. یکی از روش­های بهبود بهره وری آب و مدیریت بهتر آب مصرفی در بخش کشاورزی، کاربرد مواد جاذب رطوبت است. هدف از تحقیق حاضر ارزیابی اثر کاربرد پلیمر جاذب رطوبت آکواسورس بر پارامترهای فیزیکی و منحنی مشخصۀ رطوبتی سه بافت مختلف خاک است. آکواسورس نسل جدیدی از پلیمرهای جاذب رطوبت بر پایۀ پتاسیم است که زیست­ تخریب­ پذیر بوده و فاقد ترکیب مخرب آکریل آمید است. به این منظور، آزمایش­هایی به صورت فاکتوریل در قالب طرح کاملاً تصادفی با 3 تکرار اجرا شد که فاکتور اول چهار درصد وزنی از پلیمر جاذب رطوبت (صفر، 5/0، 1 و 2 درصد وزنی پلیمر/خاک) و فاکتور دوم سه بافت مختلف خاک (لوم­ شنی، لوم ­رسی و رس­ی سیلتی) بود. نتایج بررسی­ها نشان داد که در تمامی بافت­های خاک مورد مطالعه، کاربرد مادۀ جاذب رطوبت و افزایش سطح مورد استفاده، میزان رطوبت را در نقطۀ ظرفیت زراعی و نقطۀ پژمردگی دائم افزایش داده­است. بیشترین مقدار رطوبت قابل استفاده گیاه در بافت­های لوم­ شنی، لوم ­رسی و رسی­ سیلتی به ترتیب به میزان 8/9، 8/13 و 7/12 درصد حجمی و مربوط به کاربرد 5/0­ درصد وزنی مادۀ جاذب رطوبت در این تیمارهاست. کاربرد مقادیر بیشتر سبب کاهش رطوبت قابل استفاده برای گیاه شده­است. بنابراین، با آنکه پلیمر جاذب رطوبت آکواسورس در جذب آب توانایی خوبی دارد، اما در سطوح بالای استفاده اثر بازدارندگی دارد و قادر به تخلیۀ مطلوب رطوبت نیست.

کلیدواژه‌ها

موضوعات

عنوان مقاله [English]

Effect of Aquasource Polymer on the Hydro-Physical Properties of Different Soils

نویسندگان [English]

  • Saloome Sepehri-Sadeghian 1
  • Nader Abbassi 2
  • Mohammad Mehdi Nakhjavani 3

1 Assistant Professor of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering, Agricultural Engineering Research Institute (AERI), Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran.

2 Professor, AERI

3 Agricultural Engineering Research Institue, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran

چکیده [English]

Introduction
Today, one of the most important challenges of the present and the future, especially in the arid regions of the world, is the issue of water shortage and in some cases the water crisis. One of the ways to improve water productivity and better water management in agricultural sector as the largest consumer of water is the use of super-absorbent materials to improve soil texture, increase soil water retention, reduce erosion and increase germination. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of Aquasource superabsorbent polymer on physical parameters and soil-water characteristic curves (SWCC) of different soil textures.
 
Methodology
Aquasource is a new generation of potassium-based superabsorbent polymers that are biodegradable and free of destructive acrylamide compounds. In order to evaluate the effect of Aquasource hydrogel on hydro-physical properties of soils, some experiments in the form of a completely randomized design with 3 replications was performed. The first factor was different levels of superabsorbent (0, 0.5, 1 and 2% by weight of superabsorbent/soil) and the second factor was three different soil textures (sandy-loam, clay-loam and silty-clay). SWCCs related to all treatments were determined by determining the moisture content of the samples at different pressures (0, 0.3, 0.5, 1, 3, 6, 9 and 15 bars) using a pressure plate device. Then, to obtain the soil moisture characteristic curve parameters  in each sample, two softwares RETC (v.6.02) and Rosetta (v. 1.1) were used.
 
Results and Discussion
The results of variance analysis and mean comparisons based on Duncan's test showed that in all soil textures studied, the application of superabsorbent and the increase Aquasource amounts, increased the moisture contents at the field capacity and permanent wilting point. However, the highest amount of soil available water for plant use in sandy loam, clay loam and silty clay textures was 9.8%, 13.8% and 12.7%, respectively, and they are related to the use of 0.5% w/w of superabsorbent in these treatments (Fig. 1). The use of larger amounts, up to 2%w/w, reduced the soil available water for plant use. This issue can be related to the reducing the interaction of soil particles and polymers with increasing the amount of superabsorbent application in soil. At high levels of superabsorbent consumption, the contact of the hydrogel with the soil particles is reduced, followed by the aggregation of the superabsorbent. This prevents the proper exchange
 between the superabsorbent and the surrounding soil, and thus despite the presence of moisture in the soil-superabsorbent system, this moisture cannot be used for the plant, so that in all three soil textures the lowest amount of plant available water belongs to the treatments of 2% w/w of Aquasource.
The results of statistical analysis for estimating the parameters of the soil-water characteristic curve due to the application of different levels of superabsorbent in different soil textures using two software RETC (v.6.02) and Rosetta (v. 1.1) showed that the fit The Van-Genuchten (Moallem) model in RETC software in all treatments has provided a good approximation of the parameters of the soil-water characteristic curve (R2> 0.98). Also, with increasing the amounts of superabsorbent, the accuracy of the model in estimating the parameters decreased to some extent.
 
  Conclusions
Application of Aquasource superabsorbent and increasing the application level of this superabsorbent polymer (from 0 to 2% by weight of superabsorbent/soil) in sandy-loam, clay-loam and silty-clay soil textures caused an increase in the moisture content at field capacity and permanent wilting point. Application of 2% W/W in sandy-loam, clay-loam and silty-clay soil textures increased the moisture content at the field capacity by about 2.4, 1.6 and 1.5 times, respectively, compared to the control treatments of each soil textures. However, the highest amounts of plant available water in all three soil textures were obtained by applying 0.5% W/W (superabsorbent/soil). Application of 0.5% W/W in sandy loam, clay loam and silty clay textures increased the plant available water by about 1.23, 1.19 and 1.12 times compared to the control treatments in each soil textures, respectively. However, the use of larger amounts reduced the plant available water. At low levels of Aquasource application, the interaction between the

 
superabsorbent polymer and the soil particles in the soil/polymer system facilitates the transfer of moisture stored in the superabsorbent to soil particles. However, increasing the application level of this polymer up to 2% W/W has an inhibitory effect and in this case, the interaction between the polymer and soil particles is reduced, which leads to a lack of proper drainage of moisture from the polymer.
 
Acknowledgement
The authors would like to thank Agricultural Engineering Research Institute for supporting this research.

کلیدواژه‌ها [English]

  • Moisture absorbing polymer
  • Available water
  • Soil-Water Characteristic Curve
Abedi-Koupai, J. & Sohrab, F. (2004). Evaluating the application of superabsorbent polymers on soil water capacity and potential on three soil textures. Iranian Journal of Polymer Science and Technology, 17(3), 163-173. (in Persian)
Abedi-Koupai, J., Sohrab, F. & Swarbrick, G. (2008). Evaluation of hydrogel application on soil water retention characteristics. Journal of Plant Nutrition, 31, 317–331.
Ambrojio. G., Wong, J. & Ferrari, B. J. (2019). Ecotoxicological effects of polyacrylate, acrylic acid, polyacrylamide and acrylamide on soil and water organisms. Swiss Centre for Applied Ecotoxicology, Lausanne, Switzerland. Technical Report. No: 20646.
Arabi, Z., Kaboosi, K., Rezvantalab, N. & Torke-Lalebagh, J. (2016). Effects of irrigation and super-absorbent hydrogels on morphological characteristics, yield and essential oil of anise (Pimpinella Anisum l.). Journal of Crop Production, 8(4), 51-66. (in Persian)
Behera, S. & Mahanwar, P. (2020) Superabsorbent polymers in agriculture and other applications: a review. Polymer-Plastics Technology and Materials. 59(4): 341-356.
Cao, Y., Wang, B., Guo, H., Xiao, H. & Wei, T. (2017). The effect of super absorbent polymers on soil and water conservation on the terraces of the loess plateau. Ecological Engineering, 102, 270-279.
Ecotechnology. (2018). What is Aquasource? http://www.ecotechnology.am/aquasource/index.php/en-us/ aquasource-en#.
Essawy, H., Ghazy, M., El-Hai, F. & Mohamed, M. (2016). Superabsorbent hydrogels via graft polymerization of acrylic acid from chitosan-cellulose hybrid and their potential in controlled release of soil nutrients. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 89, 144-151.
Haghayeghi-Moghaddam, S. A. (2006). Methods to increase soil moisture storage using superabsorbents to increase agricultural water productivity. Technical workshop of mechanized surface irrigation. (in Persian). Nov. 24-25. Karaj, Iran.
Haghshenas-Gorgabi, M. & Beigi-Harchegani, H. (2010). The effect of Mianeh zeolite on water retention and water retention models in two soil textures. Iranian Water Research Journal, 4(6), 35-42. (in Persian)
Kheiri-Shalamzari, K. & Boroomandnasab, S. (2014). The effect of different levels of superabsorbent a300 in some physics and hydraulic properties of a silty loam soil. Irrigation Sciences and Engineering (JISE), 36 (4) , 63-71. (in Persian)
Klute, A. (1986). Water Retention: Laboratory methods, methods of soil analysis, Part 1. American Society of Agronomy (pp 635–666), Madison, WI.
Misiewicz, J., Lejcus, K., Dabrowska, J. & Marczak, D. 2019. The characteristics of absorbency under load (AUL) for superabsorbent and soil mixtures. Scientific Reports, 9, 1-9.
Nirmala, A. & Guvvali, T. (2019). Hydrogel/superabsorbent polymer for water and nutrient management in horticultural crops-review. International Journal of Chemical Studies, 7(5), 787-795.
Parvanak-Boroujeni, K. & Abedi-Koupai, J. (2009). The effect of super AB-A200 hydrogels on porosity, water holding capacity and hydraulic conductivity of soil in the field. Plant and Ecosystem, 5(18), 102-118. (in Persian)
Rafiee, Z., Zehtabian, G. R. Tavili, A. & Kianirad, M. (2011). Comparing effect of hydrogel and compost on establishment and growth properties of Haloxilon aphyllum. Scientific and Research Journal Arid Biome, 1(3), 24-37. (in Persian)
Raju. K. M., Raju. M. P. & Mohan. Y. M. (2002). Synthesis and water absorbency of cross-linked superabsorbent polymers. Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 85, 1795-1801.
Rashed, M., Kenawy, E. R., Hosny, A., Hafez, M. & Elbana, M. (2021). An environmental friendly superabsorbent composite based on rice husk as soil amendment to improve plant growth and water productivity under deficit irrigation conditions. Journal of Plant Nutrition, 44(7), 1010-1022.
Saha, A., Sekharan, S. & Manna, U. (2020). Superabsorbent hydrogel (SAH) as a soil amendment for drought management: A review. Soil and Tillage Research, 204, 1-17.
Satriani, A., Catalano, M. & Scalcione, E. (2018). The role of superabsorbent hydrogel in bean crop cultivation under deficit irrigation conditions: A case-study in Southern Italy. Agricultural Water Management, 195, 114-119.
Schaap, M. G., Leij, F. J. & Van Genuchten, M.T. (1998). Neural network analysis for hierarchical prediction of soil water retention and saturated hydraulic conductivity. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 62, 847-855.
Schaap, M.G., Leij, F.J. & Van Genuchten, M.T. (2001). Rosetta: a computer program for estimating soil hydraulic parameters with hierarchical pedotransfer functions. Journal of Hydrology, 251, 163-176.
Sepehri, S., Abbasi, N. & Nakhjavanimoghaddam, M.M. (2020). Investigating the effects of aquasource super-absorbent on water productivity of peppermint (Mentha piperita). Final Research Report, Agricultural Engineering Research Institute. (In Persian).
Soheilnejad, A. Mahdavi-Damghani, A., Liaghati, S. & Pezeshkpour, P. (2018). Effect of superabsorbent hydrogel Aquasorb application on mitigating drought stress, grain yield and water use efficiency of mung bean (Vigna radiate L.). Iranian Journal of Crop Sciences, 19(4), 363-375. (in Persian)
Sohrab, F. & Abbasi, F. (2010). Investigating the effect of using superabsorbent materials on soil water retention. Final research report. No. 89/945. Agricultural Engineering Research Institute. (in Persian)
Van Genuchten, M.T., Leij, F.J. & Yates, S.R. (1991). The RETC Code for Quantifying the Hydraulic Functions of Unsaturated Soils, USEPA Rep. 60012-91/065. USEPA, Environment Research Laboratory. National Service Center for Environmental Publications (NSCEP)خ
Vasconcelos, M., Gomes, R., Sousa, A., Moreira, F., Rodrigues, F., Fajardo, A. & Neto, L. (2019). Superabsorbent hydrogel composite based on starch/rice husk ash as a soil conditioner in melon (Cucumis melo L.) seedling culture. Journal of Polymers and the Environment, 28, 131:140.
Warker, S. & Kumar, A. (2019). Synthesis and assessment of carboxymethyl tamarind kernel gum based novel superabsorbent hydrogels for agricultural applications, Polymer, 182: 1-10.
Xiahua, Q., Mingzhu, L., Zhenbin, C. & Fen, Z. (2008). Study on the Swelling Kinetics of Superabsorbent Using Open, Circuit Potential Measurement. European Polymer Journal, 44, 743-754.
Yu, J., Shi, J. G. & Ma, X. (2017). Superabsorbent Polymer Properties and Concentration Effects on Water Retention under Drying Conditions. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 81, 889-901.