Characterization of Chitosan-Acrylamide Hydrogels as Soil Conditioner

Abstract. Hydrogels can be used as soil conditioner which acts as water reservoirs and release
water depending upon the need of plant roots. Soil conditioner based hydrogels were synthesized by
graft copolymerization of chitosan-acrylamide using gamma irradiation. In this research, the
influence of hydrogels amounts on physical, and chemical properties of the sandy soil
characterization were investigated by measuring bulk density of soil, porosity, water retention, and
field capacity. Bulk density of the soil was decreased, whereas water retention and porosity were
increased with increasing additions of hydrogels. The addition of 0.4% hydrogels increased the field
capacity significantly. Biodegradation studies of the hydrogels were carried out by soil burial-test in
a composting environment up to 6 weeks. Microscopy analysis shows structural deformation of
hydrogels with time. Hydrogels show sharp weight loss until 4 weeks. Soil conditioner based
chitosan-acrylamide hydrogels was found to be beneficial for maintaining the physicochemical soil
properties as well as plant growth