Therefore, superabsorbent polymers with a complex of
CMC and starch and crosslinked with aluminum showed
promise as an environmentally friendly amendment in
soil. When there was no polymer amendment in the soil,
the plants show signs of dehydration during water stress,
for the purpose of retaining water in soil during irrigation.
while plants growing in amended soil were healthier.
Overall, the potato starch hydrogel amended soil at
0.12% dosage performed better than those of cassava,
corn and yam starch hydrogels. These results also
suggest that soil amendment using a superabsorbent
polymer composed of CMC and starch can be an
alternative to petroleum based superabsorbent polymers
for water retention during irrigation.