Wax-coated Sand Keeps Soil Wet Longer, Improves Crop Yields in Arid Regions
Published:23 Mar.2022 Source:American Chemical Society
Dry, hot regions are difficult places to grow plants because the soil dries out quickly. As a result, farmers in arid and semi-arid regions irrigate their fields with buried networks of irrigation tubing and cover the ground with plastic sheets. But plastic sheets are expensive and create waste.
Now, researchers have developed a simple, biodegradable ground cover -- wax-coated sand -- which keeps soil wet and increases crop yields.