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Development Of A New Hydroseeding Process For Soil Stabilisation And Vegetation, Eileen T. Keane

Theses

A variety of mechanical and chemical extraction procedures were used to produce crude alginate gels from 3 seaweed species. These viscous hydrocolloidal substances had excellent adhesive properties but did however prove phytotoxic to germinating seeds. Experimental gels were subsequently refined and germination trials were carried out to determine optimum gel types. Pilot field trials were set up to compare the 2 most favourable gels with existing commercial hydroseeding products imported from Norway and Sweden. These tests involved the use of experimental plots on loam and sand substrates with slopes of 0^, 22^ and 45^. A number of biodegradable organic substances …