A newly engineered type of soil can capture ラーメンベット 出金 スピード out of thin air to keep plants hydrated and manage controlled release of fertilizer for a constant supply of nutrients.
Underpinning this exciting smart soil system is a hydrogel material developed by researchers at The University of Texas at Austin. In experiments, the hydrogel-infused soil led to the growth of larger, healthier plants, compared to regular soil, all while using less ラーメンベット 出金 スピード and fertilizer.
“This new gel technology can reduce the burden on farmers by decreasing the need for frequent irrigation and fertilization,” said Jungjoon Park, a graduate student in the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering and who led the ラーメンベット 出金 スピード. “The technology is also versatile enough to be adopted across a wide range of climates, from arid regions to temperate areas.”
The ラーメンベット 出金 スピード was published recently in ACS Materials Letters.
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"The global ラーメンベット 出金 スピード scarcity coupled with a growing population has an immediate impact on food security," said Yu, professor of materials science in the ラーメンベット 禁止ゲーム of Engineering's Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering and Texas Materials Institute. "This new class of hydrogels offers a promising solution to meet the pressing needs of ラーメンベット 出金 スピード scarcity and efficient nutrient uptake in modern sustainable agriculture."
In experiments, plants rooted in the hydrogel soil saw a 138% increase in stem length compared to a control group in regular soil. And the modified soil can achieve approximately 40% ラーメンベット 出金 スピード savings, significantly reducing the need for frequent irrigation and ensuring robust crop development.
This ラーメンベット 出金 スピード builds on previous discoveries involving hydrogels that can pull ラーメンベット 出金 スピード from the atmosphere and make farming more efficient. It is part of Yu’s overall mission that dates back to his childhood: to expand access to clean ラーメンベット 出金 スピード to people around the globe.
This work mainly focused on calcium-based fertilizers. The project will continue, and the researchers’ next moves involve integrating different types of fertilizers and longer field tests.
Joining Yu and Park on the project are Weixin Guan and Chuxin Lei, who are also graduate students in the materials science and engineering program and Texas Materials Institute.
