Abstract:
Multicomponent absorbent networks of hydrogel type represent a last
generation materials with tree-dimensional structure and have a high
capacity of swelling.
The applications on these materials penetrated last years in food,
pharmaceutical, electrotechnical and electronic industries, in biomaterials
and environment protection domains.
In agriculture, hydrogels are especially used in soil improvement and
to increase the efficiency of agrochemical treatments. Hydrogel applications
in agriculture differ according to soil type, geographic area and plant types.
Often, hydrogels may be mixed with soil particles, especially sandy particles,
to increase water retention capacity. The repeated water absorption
improves soil aeration. Hydrogel presence in soil contributes to reduce the
erosion produced by wind and water, stabilizes river silts, and contributes to
the growth of biomass production.
The relationship plant - agroclimatic factors, of high complexity for
culture plants, becomes simple for decorative plants. In this last case, the
specific microclimate suffers minor variations and the soil support, through
its characteristics, becomes the most significant factor with influence on
vegetation and plants development.
The paper studies the influence of two types of artificial supports (soil - hydrogel and cotton - hydrogel); the influence of polyacrylamide based
hydrogels on vegetation of some decorative plants was tested.
The experimental observations were registered in time, for periods
extending from one month to a year.
The development of plants on artificial supports evolved better than
witness plants. The registered images make evident differences as concerns
highness, branches, leafy and flowers number.Also, it was been found that
hydrogels with raised values of initial swelling degree stimulate germination
and development of decorative plants.
