India has successfully developed a new type of super absorbent resin that can improve water utilization

Agriculture, as the economic lifeline of China, India and other countries and a large consumer of water, has a self-evident demand for water resources. However, as the contradiction between the shortage of water resources and the increase in water demand increases day by year, how to improve the efficiency of water use through science and technology and effectively use limited water resources has become a common consideration for major agricultural countries.

Recently, the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI, an Indian government agency) has developed a new superabsorbent resin that can help farmers in arid or semi-arid regions maximize the efficiency of water used for farming.

The technology, which includes superabsorbent hydrogels, will be commercialized by the National Research and Development Corporation (NRDC, a Ministry of Science and Technology enterprise) and Reliance Industries of India (RIL).

At 50 degrees Celsius, the hydrogel absorbs clean water at least 350 times its own body weight. Applying it to agriculture could help farmers increase productivity while drastically reducing irrigation water use. The use of such hydrogels will also improve soil physical properties such as porosity, aggregate stability and hydraulic conductivity, agricultural scientists say.

After successfully testing its application potential, the National Scientific Research and Development Corporation and Reliance Industries have signed an agreement to commercialize this new superabsorbent hydrogel technology.