Wax-coated sand keeps soil wet longer, improves crop yields in arid regions

Plants can't grow in hot regions because the soil dries out quickly. Farmers in arid and semi-arid regions use buried networks of irrigation tubing and cover the ground with plastic sheets to irrigate their fields. Plastic sheets create waste. The ground cover which keeps soil wet and increases crop yields has been developed by researchers.

Farmers usually get water from nearby waterways. When plants are grown in arid regions, the soil is made of sand and can't hold onto water. One way to improve the efficiency of irrigation water is to make sure it stays in the soil for a long time. Studies have shown that ground cover barriers, such as plastic sheets and engineered nanomaterials, can improve plant growth and crop yields. Both could cause long-term impacts on the soil. Plants and animals naturally produce waxy substances that trap and pool water from fog or condensation so that they can access these sources of hydration. Himanshu and colleagues wanted to see if they could coat sand with wax to create a benign ground cover.

The researchers used a large amount of purified paraffin wax for their experiments. They poured sand into the mixture after dissolving the wax. The wax was left on the grains as the solvent evaporated. The team applied the wax-coated sand in a thin layer on an open field in Saudi Arabia to decrease the loss of soil moisture. Tomatoes, barley, and wheat plants mulched with the new material produced more fruit and grain than those grown in uncovered soil, according to field trials. The waxy mulch could have acted as a food source for some of the microbes, but it wasn't negatively impacted by the community around the roots and in the soil. The technology could make water use more efficient in arid regions.

More information: Adair Gallo Jr. et al, Nature-Inspired Superhydrophobic Sand Mulches Increase Agricultural Productivity and Water-Use Efficiency in Arid Regions. ACS Agricultural and Science Technology (2022). DOI: 10.1021/acsagscitech.1c00148. doi.org/10.1021/acsagscitech.1c00148 Citation: Wax-coated sand keeps soil wet longer, improves crop yields in arid regions (2022, March 16) retrieved 17 March 2022 from https://phys.org/news/2022-03-wax-coated-sand-soil-longer-crop.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.