Hydrogels as the plant culture substrates: A review

A class of hydrophilic polymers known as hydrogels have extensive water content and three-dimensional crosslinked networks. Since the old period, they have been utilized as plant culture substrates to get around the drawbacks of hydroponics and soil. Numerous hydrogels, particularly polysaccharides with exceptional stability, high clarity, and low cost can be employed as plant substrates. Although numerous novel and func- tionalized hydrogels might assist in overcoming the drawbacks of conventional media and giving them more functions, the existing hydrogel-based plant growth substrates rarely benefit from the developments of gels in the previous few decades. Prospects include the development of new conduction techniques, the creation of potential new hydrogels, and the functionalization of the hydrogel as plant culture substrates.

Automated summary

Hydrogels, a class of hydrophilic polymers, have extensive water content and three-dimensional crosslinked networks. They have been widely used as plant culture substrates to overcome the drawbacks of hydroponics and soil. Many polysaccharide hydrogels with exceptional stability, high clarity, and low cost can be employed as plant substrates. However, the existing hydrogel-based plant growth substrates have not benefited much from the developments of gels in the past few decades. Prospects for future development include the creation of new conduction techniques, the development of potential new hydrogels, and the functionalization of hydrogels as plant culture substrates.