Abstract
Water unavailability and shortage are severe problems in agriculture, particularly in loamy sandy to sandy soil, since they inhibit plant growth, resulting in a low crop yield. Using biocompatible hydrogels with good water absorption and retention properties is essential to improve plant growth under unfavorable situations. This work aimed to investigate the influence of the carboxymethyl cellulose/nano-calcium carbonate (CMC/NCC) composite amended in the loamy sand soil on maize growth in a pot experiment. Two types of CMC hydrogels with 1 or 5% wv–1 of NCC, designated as CMC/NCC1 and CMC/NCC5 composite hydrogels, respectively, were selected in this study. Incorporating NCC nanoparticles into the physically crosslinked CMC hydrogel networks exhibited the ability to increase water absorption of the pristine and nanocomposite CMC hydrogels. We investigated the properties of hydrogels of different compositions and dosages added to cause increased water absorption capacity (WAC), water holding capacity (WHC), and carbon dioxide (CO2) evolution. The CMC/NCC hydrogels had better swelling capacity than those of the pristine CMC hydrogels at all pHs. The amendment of hydrogels in loamy sand soil enhanced the soil WHC. The CO2 evolution gradually increased with incubation time in the order of CMC > CMC/NCC1 > CMC/NCC5 > the control soil. The chlorophyll contents, the biomasses of the above- and below-ground parts, and root length were observed as the determining parameters of maize growth. Although the total chlorophyll contents of maize leaves did not significantly change with hydrogel supplementations, the root biomass and cumulative root length of the maize grown in the soil amended with hydrogels were significantly lower than that of untreated soil without changing the above-ground biomass. This suggests that the maize plant growing in the loamy sand soil amended with CMC/NCC hydrogels could affect the allocation of carbon without changing the overall crop yield. Thus, the CMC/NCC hydrogels can be used as an alternative soil amendment for agricultural applications in the loamy sand soil to maintain plant growth.
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Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
CMC/NCC hydrogels swelled better than pristine CMC hydrogels at all pHs.
- Treatment
- CMC/NCC hydrogelse1
- Outcome
- swelling capacitye1
- Direction
- bettere1
- Comparator
- pristine CMC hydrogelse1
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e1“The CMC/NCC hydrogels had better swelling capacity than those of the pristine CMC hydrogels at all pHs”
Claim · model-written summary
Adding NCC nanoparticles increased the water absorption of CMC hydrogels relative to the pristine hydrogels.
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e7“Incorporating NCC nanoparticles into the physically crosslinked CMC hydrogel networks exhibited the ability to increase water absorption of the pristine and nanocomposite CMC hydrogels”
Claim · model-written summary
Hydrogel amendment of loamy sand soil enhanced the soil water holding capacity.
Not reportedTaxonComparator
Verbatim
e2“The amendment of hydrogels in loamy sand soil enhanced the soil WHC”
Claim · model-written summary
CO2 evolution gradually increased with incubation time, in the order CMC > CMC/NCC1 > CMC/NCC5 > control soil.
- Treatment
- incubation timee3
- Outcome
- CO2 evolutione3
- Direction
- gradually increasede3
- Comparator
- the control soile3
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e3“The CO2 evolution gradually increased with incubation time in the order of CMC > CMC/NCC1 > CMC/NCC5 > the control soil”
Claim · model-written summary
Hydrogel supplementation did not significantly change total chlorophyll content of maize leaves.
- Treatment
- hydrogel supplementationse4
- Outcome
- total chlorophyll contents of maize leavese4
- Direction
- did not significantly changee4
Zea maysNot reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e4“the total chlorophyll contents of maize leaves did not significantly change with hydrogel supplementations”
Claim · model-written summary
Root biomass and cumulative root length of maize were significantly lower in hydrogel-amended soil than in untreated soil.
- Treatment
- the soil amended with hydrogelse5
- Outcome
- root biomass and cumulative root lengthe5
- Direction
- significantly lowere5
- Comparator
- untreated soile5
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e5“the root biomass and cumulative root length of the maize grown in the soil amended with hydrogels were significantly lower than that of untreated soil without changing the above-ground biomass”
Claim · model-written summary
Above-ground biomass of maize was not changed by hydrogel amendment relative to untreated soil.
- Treatment
- the soil amended with hydrogelse5
- Outcome
- above-ground biomasse5
- Direction
- without changinge5
- Comparator
- untreated soile5
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e5“the root biomass and cumulative root length of the maize grown in the soil amended with hydrogels were significantly lower than that of untreated soil without changing the above-ground biomass”
Claim · model-written summary
Maize grown in hydrogel-amended soil may shift carbon allocation without changing overall crop yield.
- Treatment
- amended with CMC/NCC hydrogelse6
- Outcome
- allocation of carbone6
- Qualifier
- without changing the overall crop yielde6
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e6“the maize plant growing in the loamy sand soil amended with CMC/NCC hydrogels could affect the allocation of carbon without changing the overall crop yield”
Claim · model-written summary
CMC/NCC hydrogels can be used as an alternative soil amendment in loamy sand soil for maize growth.
- Outcome
- alternative soil amendment for agricultural applicationse7
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“for Maize Growth”
e7“the CMC/NCC hydrogels can be used as an alternative soil amendment for agricultural applications in the loamy sand soil”
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