Hydrogels are loosely crosslinked hydrophilic polymers that can
absorb and retain aqueous fluids more than hundreds of times of
their own weight, and water is hardly removed from them even
under pressure. One of the most important applications of hydrogels
is for agricultural and horticultural purposes, especially for
effective utilization of water in dry and desert regions. Incorporation
of hydrogels and fertilizers in one product can improve nutrition
of plants, and at the same time mitigate the environmental
impact of water-soluble fertilizers, reduce evaporation losses and
decrease the frequency of irrigation