| Popis: |
The amount, quality and cost of growing plants are determined not only by biological traits, but also by environmental factors such as soil moisture capacity. Water, nutrients and air, in addition to light and heat, are required for regular plant development. Furthermore, water is the most significant factor in the productivity and viability of plants contained in soil, determining all vital activities in plants and microorganisms, as well as the physicochemical qualities of the soil, cultivation schedule, etc. The authors conducted tests to boost the field moisture capacity of various substrates using polymer-mineral materials (PMM) inserted into them, allowing them to conserve additional water for plant development and survival gathered through precipitation or artificial irrigation. Furthermore, the volume of collected water can be managed by the amount of PMM put into the substrate and, if necessary, brought to levels that can drastically reduce the frequency of irrigations, for example, by half or more, and, in certain circumstances, completely abandon it under boghara conditions. Tests conducted without plants allow us to offer recommendations on the technology of placing PMM in the substrate to increase their moisture capacity, as well as the best amount to acquire a particular volume of additional water. In particular, in soil with a field capacity of 30 %, 3-6 gr of PMM material can be added to raise it by 20-30 %, providing an additional 60-90 g of water per kg of soil, equal to the volume of water that the soil provides the plant quite easily even without material. Plants can easily absorb 30 % of the water capacity of the area. |
