Sarhan, N., Korium, D. (2025). Impact of Superabsorbent Hydrogel on Enhancing the Growth of Cordyline fruticosa Plant under Different Irrigation Intervals. Journal of Plant Production, 16(6), 367-377. doi: 10.21608/jpp.2025.383574.1463
Nada A. M. Z. Sarhan; Doaa A. H. Korium. "Impact of Superabsorbent Hydrogel on Enhancing the Growth of Cordyline fruticosa Plant under Different Irrigation Intervals". Journal of Plant Production, 16, 6, 2025, 367-377. doi: 10.21608/jpp.2025.383574.1463
Sarhan, N., Korium, D. (2025). 'Impact of Superabsorbent Hydrogel on Enhancing the Growth of Cordyline fruticosa Plant under Different Irrigation Intervals', Journal of Plant Production, 16(6), pp. 367-377. doi: 10.21608/jpp.2025.383574.1463
Sarhan, N., Korium, D. Impact of Superabsorbent Hydrogel on Enhancing the Growth of Cordyline fruticosa Plant under Different Irrigation Intervals. Journal of Plant Production, 2025; 16(6): 367-377. doi: 10.21608/jpp.2025.383574.1463
Impact of Superabsorbent Hydrogel on Enhancing the Growth of Cordyline fruticosa Plant under Different Irrigation Intervals
Ornamental Horticulture Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt
Abstract
Irrigation water conservation is becoming increasingly critical in agriculture to achieve optimal plant production. Therefore, the efficiency of (hydrophilic) absorbents like hydrogel is highly suited to growing plants under limited water conditions. However, It increases the water-holding capacity of sandy soil through deep percolation. Therefore, this study's ultimate objective focuses on the hydrogel's impacts on improving morphological characteristics and Chemical constituents of Cordyline fruticosa seedlings. For this purpose, Three Hydrogel levels and four irrigation intervals in sandy soil were conducted in pots under open field conditions during two consecutive seasons. In both seasons, adding all hydrogel levels to sandy soil caused a progressive increase in all the studied traits. The hydrogel treatment at 3 and 4g/kg soil surpassed that at 2 g/kg soil. Irrigating plants every ten days produced the highest values of the aforementioned characteristics when compared to all other irrigated interval treatments. The sole difference occurred with root traits, in which an irrigation interval of 20 days achieved the best results. Moreover, combining the two variables showed that treating cordyline seedlings with 3 or 4g/kg soil every ten days led to notable improvements in all examined characteristics. On the other hand, raising irrigation intervals to 20 days with untreated plants resulted in a consistently significant boost in proline and phenol contents during both growing seasons. According to the findings, using hydrogel levels at various irrigation intervals was an economical strategy for long-term water retention in sandy soil and enhancing cordyline plant productivity.