Enhancing Canola Yield and Photosynthesis under Water Stress with Hydrogel Polymers

Abstract

While Egypt’s canola production per unit area has recently grown, productivity remains low, necessitating increased productivity. Hydrogels are water-absorbent polymer compounds that can optimize irrigation schedules by increasing the soil’s ability to retain water. Accordingly, two field experiments were conducted to examine hydrogel application to sandy soil on canola growth, biochemical aspects, yield, yield traits, and nutritional quality of yielded seeds grown under water deficit stress conditions. The experiments were conducted by arranging a split-plot layout in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three times replications of each treatment. While water stress at 75% or 50% of crop evapotranspiration (ETc) lowered chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, carotenoids, and total pigments content, indole-3-acetic acid, plant development, seed yield, and oil and total carbohydrates of seed yield, hydrogel treatment enhanced all of the traits mentioned above. Furthermore, hydrogel enhanced to gather compatible solutes (proline, amino acids, total soluble sugars), phenolics content in leaves, seed protein, and crop water productivity, which increased while the plants were under water stress. The results revealed that the full irrigation (100%ETc) along with hydrogel compared to water-stressed (50%ETc) led to enhanced seed yield (kg ha), Oil (%), and Total carbohydrates (%) of rapeseed by 57.1%, 11.1% and 15.7%, respectively. Likewise, under water-stressed plots with hydrogel exhibited enhancement by 10.0%, 3.2% and 5.1% in seed yield (kg ha), oil (%), and total carbohydrates (%) of rapeseed by 57.1%, 11.1% and 15.7%, respectively compared to control. As a result, the use of hydrogel polymer will be a viable and practical solution for increasing agricultural output under water deficit stress situations.