Facile Fabrication of Wood Fiber-Hydrogel Composites for Enhanced Water and Nutrient Efficiency in Soilless Cultivation.

ABSTRACT: Restrictive regulations on the use of peat and increasing consumption in modern horticulture production have created an irreconcilable contradiction. Wood fibers (WF) produced from forestry residues are considered as a promising peat substitution. However, their poor water- and nutrient-holding capacity limit their application. Here, wood fiber-hydrogel composite (WF-Gel) was developed via a one-pot strategy by grafting poly(acrylic acid-co-acrylamide) (P(AA-co-AM)) onto WF. The structure of the hydrogel network incorporated with WF was confirmed by FTIR spectrophotometry, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry, and thermogravimetric analysis. The growing substrate amended with WF-Gel showed higher physical properties, including water-filled porosity (~62.33%) and water-holding

SUBMITTER: Yang Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12693702 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature