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- Title
The role of used disposable diapers for improving the growth and survival of Eucalyptus alaticaulis seedling under drought conditions.
- Authors
Zekry, Madiha; Salim, Heba; Nassar, Ibrahim; Abdallah, Ahmed
- Abstract
The potential of afforestation in Egypt is high due to land availability. However, available land s for afforestation are light-textured soils with low water holding capacity (WHC). Besides, the process of used disposable diapers (UDDs) represents a big challenge, particularly in developing countries. Such UDDs contain significant amounts of super absorbent polymers (SAPs). Thus, when incorporated into the soil, could increase soil WHC. This study investigates the potential of recovered-SAPs (R-SAPs) from UDDs to enhance soil hydraulic properties and aid the survival of Eucalyptus alaticaulis seedling under drought stress. R-SAPs were mixed with the soils (in 20-L pots) at three concentrations, i.e., 0.0, 0.75, or 1.5%. Under glasshouse conditions, seedling were irrigated for 4-months to ensure seedling' establishment, then subjected to drought by terminating irrigation. The pots were weighed daily for monitoring daily evapotranspiration until the seedling' death. R-SAPs addition increased WHC, plant available water, and prolonged seedling' survival. The seedling survived for 14, 17, and 23 days for 0.0, 0.75, and 1.5%, respectively. R-SAPs at 1.5% increased the total dry weight by 10.8%. The soil moisture at the seedling' death in R-SAPs-amended soils was higher than the control, indicating that not all the water retained by R-SAPs was available for plant absorption. R-SAPs addition increased soil salinity and Na+ concentration. The reuse of UDDs for afforestation purposes could represent a novel process for UDDs and support afforestation programs. Future research should focus on the effect of R-SAPs' addition on soil quality parameters, in particular those related to Na+ accumulation.
- Publication
Soil & Environment, 2022, Vol 41, Issue 1, p63
- ISSN
2074-9546
- Publication type
Academic Journal
- DOI
10.25252/SE/2022/222728