International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) Volume: 12 Issue: 03 | Mar 2025
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e-ISSN: 2395-0056 p-ISSN: 2395-0072
ENHANCING MOISTURE RETAINING CAPACITY OF BLACK COTTON SOIL USING HYDROGEL Kunal Bandhate1, Darshan Gouliwar2, Natansh Rahate3, Daipayan Mandal4 1U.G. Student, Department of Civil Engineering, KITS, Ramtek Maharashtra, India 2U.G. Student, Department of Civil Engineering, KITS, Ramtek Maharashtra, India 3U.G. Student, Department of Civil Engineering, KITS, Ramtek Maharashtra, India 4Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, KITS, Ramtek Maharashtra, India
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Abstract - This paper study investigates the feasibility and
Tomato Seeds are sown in June July for autumn winter crop and for spring summer crop seeds are sown in November. In the hills seed is sown in March April. About 250 300 g of seed are sufficient for raising seedlings for one hectare of land. Sowing should be done thinly in lines spaced at 10-15 cm distance. Seeds are sown at a depth of 2-3 cm and covered with a fine layer of soil followed by light watering by water can. Tomato is very sensitive to water application. Heavy irrigation provided after a long spell of drought causes cracking of the fruits. Hence it should be avoided. Light irrigation should be given 3-4 days after transplanting. Irrigation intervals should be according to soil type and rainfall, irrigation should be given 7-8 days interval during kharif, during rabi 10-12 days and 5-6 days during summer (Government of India).
effectiveness of using Natural hydrogel (Cellulose, Starch and Cellulose Starch Composite) to overcome water shortage and enhance the yield and quality of tomatoes as a sustainable alternative for toxic fertilizers. The study examines the use of three tomato samples: 1) with natural hydrogel 2) with artificial hydrogel and 3) without hydrogel. The materials were used to produce starch and cellulose are potato peels, corns, orange peels, aloe vera. The results show that the use of natural and artificial hydrogel improved the growth of tomato yield. The study also found that in tomato irrigation the use starch-cellulose based natural hydrogel reduced the consumption of water as compared to artificial hydrogel. The findings suggest that natural hydrogel can be a viable and sustainable alternative in agricultural fields, offering both engineering and environmental benefits.
Hydrogels are superabsorbent materials that can absorb and store a few hundreds of times their own weight in water. In indigenous agriculture, hydrogel is a product that has been designed and produced to increase crop productivity per unit of available water and nutrients, particularly in moisture stressed environments. Extreme weather events and droughts have been more common in recent decades, as has the frequency of such disasters. A number of research have been carried out to determine how climate change influences precipitation and irrigation patterns. A decrease in groundwater reserves in semi-arid regions and shifts in the spatial distribution of surface water have led to the prediction that an increase in irrigation storage will be critical in India if agricultural production is to maintain its current level in the face of increasing demand (Devineni et al., 2013). In recent years, it has been stated that the number of drought occurrences has grown over the past decade, and that the pattern of monsoon rainfall, which accounts for 80 percent of Nepal's total precipitation, has become more irregular since 2000. (Jha et al., 2016). Super Water Absorbent (SWA) hydrogels are cross-linked polymers exhibiting unusually high-water uptake abilities. these materials have found extensive use mostly in agriculture to retain moisture in the soil in arid and semi-arid regions (Sultana et al., 2016). If hydrogels are allowed to dry up, the influence they have on the body is diminished; consequently, irrigation is required to ensure the longevity of hydrogels. Hydrogels can be applied
Key Words: hydrogel, Tomato irrigation, starch-cellulose based materials.
1.INTRODUCTION Tomato is one of the major food crops of India, and it is an essential portion of the country's overall food security. It is a large water-consuming crop, particularly when cultivated using the drip irrigation method, with an average of 1000 to 1200 liters of water required to produce 1 kg of tomatoes (Government of India). The major tomato producing states are Maharashtra, Bihar, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Assam. Tomato can be grown on a wide range of soils from sandy to heavy clay. However, well-drained, sandy or red loam soils rich in organic matter with a pH range of 6.0-7.0 are considered as ideal. Tomato is a warm season crop. The best fruit colour and quality is obtained at a temperature range of 21 24°C. Temperatures above 32o C adversely affects the fruit set and development. The plants cannot withstand frost and high humidity. It requires a low to medium rainfall. Bright sunshine at the time of fruit set helps to develop dark red coloured fruits. Temperature below 10 oC adversely affects plant tissues thereby slowing down physiological activities (Government of India).
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