Harnessing the potential of superabsorbent polymers for alleviating drought and salt stresses in fruit crops

Abstract

Most of the fruit crops are adversely affected by the osmotic stress arising due to poor water availability and/or excess salts in the root zone. In addition to water deficit, ion toxicities pose an additional risk to the crops grown in salt-affected soils. Even crops considered to be fairly drought and salt tolerant (e.g. olive) exhibit marked declines in growth and fruit yield upon prolonged exposure to these stresses. Climate change impacts are predicted to further accentuate drought and salt hazards in the foreseeable future. Although several biological and agronomic options have been suggested to improve plant tolerance to these stresses, there are constraints that hinder their widespread commercial applications. Of late, super absorbent polymers (hydrogels) are increasingly being tested to manage water and salt stresses in a number of field and horticultural crops. In this article, the potential of hydrogel use in alleviating drought and salt stresses in fruit crops is briefly reviewed.