Smart Soil Shows Promise

Look out, dirt, there’s a new soil in town. 

Enter “smart soil,” an engineered soil that “can capture water out of thin air to keep plants hydrated and manage controlled release of fertilizer for a constant supply of nutrients.”

Background: Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin created this soil material, infusing it with hydrogel. Since the soil can quite literally capture water from the air, plants can stay hydrated in non-optimal conditions. This soil is also able to control the release of fertilizer, which could be a game-changer. 

Soundbite: “The global water scarcity coupled with a growing population has an immediate impact on food security. This new class of hydrogels offers a promising solution to meet the pressing needs of water scarcity and efficient nutrient uptake in modern sustainable agriculture.” — Yu, professor at UT-Austin’s Cockrell School of Engineering

Promising stats: Plants grown in hydrogel had a 138% increase in stem length compared to those grown in regular soil. The smart soil also had 40% water savings—a win-win.

Where this goes: This project focused on calcium-based fertilizers, but as it continues, more fertilizers will be tested and field tests will run longer.