Forest Sciences Commons^™

Super Absorbent Polymer Application Under Suboptimal Environments: Implications And Challenges For Marginal Lands And Abiotic Stresses, Asif Jamal, Sadam Hussain, Saddam Hussain, Amar Matloob, Tahir Hussain Awan, Farida Irshad, Basharat Ali, Ejaz Waraich

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

World population is increasing at an alarming rate, and crop cultivation on marginal lands has emerged as an alternate option to feed the burgeoning population. However, marginal lands are characterized by poor soil health and other undesirable characteristics resulting in low crop production and less economic returns. Interest in the application of superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) for marginal lands has been increasing. The SAPs application increases the germination percentage, seedling growth, and grain yield of different crops. Being hydrophilic in nature, SAPs can absorb and retain a huge quantity of water, and thereby enhance the water use efficiency in crops. In …