Agricultural practices in regions with arid climates are putting an enormous burden on energy and ground water resources. In response, we present superhydrophobic sand mulches comprising of ordinary sand granules with ~20 nm-thick biodegradable coating. When placed on the topsoil as a ~5-mm-thick layer, the superhydrophobic sand mulch dramatically suppressed evaporative loss of water. As a result, the average moisture content in the soil available to plants increased, leading to significantly higher yields. In this presentation, we will present experimental results from the field-scale application of superhydrophobic sand mulch for tomato and barley crops conducted in western Saudi Arabia. The promising results from this study indicate that superhydrophobic sand mulch might strengthen the food-water-energy nexus in dryland regions.

Inexpensive superhydrophobic sand mulches for dryland agriculture

255th National Meeting (2018)

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