Impact of Soil Engineering With Lignin-based Hydrogel on Spring Wheat Growth Under Drought Stress and Activity of Microbial Community
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0000-0002-1961-7700 Date
2026-08
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Abstract
The increasing frequency and intensity of droughts have increased the need for new ways to improve soil moisture retention. This work investigates the safety of a novel lignin-based hydrogel (HG), its effects on microbial activity, and its effects on wheat germination in different soils. The study used soil samples with different textures: loamy sand, sand, and two sandy loams. The hydrogel did not show any toxic effects on freshwater ostracods and seed germination. The effect of the hydrogel on dehydrogenase activity (DHA) depended on soil type. It increased in sand and loamy sand, but was impaired in sandy loam. Incubating all soils with HG did not significantly affect microbial functional diversity. The material did not significantly interfere with the soil microbiome or induce metabolic stress. In sand and loamy sand soils, faster HG mass loss was noticed than in sandy loam, reaching up to 90% in 6 months. The study also examined the effect of the hydrogel on spring wheat growth. During a three-week pot experiment, sand and loamy sand soils supplemented with HG showed the greatest reduction in moisture loss by evapotranspiration, and the improvement compared to the control persisted for at least 6 months. Sand soil showed the most noticeable increase in seedling growth. However, no consistent relationship was observed among plant biomass, HG mass loss rate, water evapotranspiration, or DHA across the studied soils. Overall, the lignin-based hydrogel showed good environmental safety and potential to improve soil water retention. However its effects on soil microorganisms and plant growth were strongly soil-dependent. Since the same amount of water was used throughout treatments, the results demonstrate the need to consider soil physiochemical properties to adjust the amount of the hydrogel applied to provide optimal conditions for plant growth conditions.
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Siryk, O., Kaczor, M., Mącik, M., Frąc, M., Vitková, J., Peth, S., Szewczuk-Karpisz, K. (2026). Impact of soil engineering with lignin-based hydrogel on spring wheat growth under drought stress and activity of microbial community. [Submitted Manuscript under Review]. https://open.icm.edu.pl/handle/123456789/27036