Hydrogel is a synthetic organic product with a high water absorption capacity.
Juan Ramón Huayhua, fruit and perennial fruit project manager of this Center, said that there are several investigations that indicate that within 50 to 70 years the use of hydrogel will be common, ie seeds will be planted via this product; "Although we are not waiting for those years to arrive, we are already experimenting with this product that will help producers, especially in regions where rainfall deficits are suffering, such as the case of the Chaco, and part of the Chiquitania the Tropics".
In this regard, different fruits, like the achachairu, are already being experimentally grown, said the expert.
He also explained that 4 grams of Hydrogel are used in one litre of water, which is then allowed to stand for a few minutes until it takes the form of a gelatinous body that can subsequently be used. Its duration, depending on the quality of the product, is of up to three months.
In turn, he said, "hydrogel is already being used by public and private institutions for plantations of forest species, especially eucalyptus, in areas where high temperatures can surpass 40 degrees Celsius, and the soil is poor and sandy. "
Other uses of hydrogel
Chinese scientists of the Tianjin University of Science and Technology developed a spray coating for bananas that delays their ripening process and extends their lives.
Scientists coated green bananas with a hydrogel made with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and chitosan, a polysaccharide derived from chitin, the main component of shells of shrimps, crabs and lobsters.
The bananas stayed fresh and preserved their palatability for twelve days, whereas, in their natural cycle, they would have spoiled in less time.
