The Use of Polymers in Agricultural Irrigation Water Management

With the increase in the world population and the effects of climate change, the demand for diminishing water resources is increasing day by day. Usable fresh water resources are decreasing. The biggest user of fresh water resources is the agricultural sector. Therefore, increasing the management efficiency of water used in agriculture has become a necessity. Our country is among the countries that suffer from water shortage due to its ecological and climatic conditions. It will be among the countries that will be affected by drought and global warming in the coming years. Water and water resources, which are the source of life for all living things, are decreasing and disappearing day by day all over the world and in our country, or are becoming polluted and unusable. In our country, 72% of our water resources are used in agriculture, 18% in domestic use and 10% in industry. By preventing the loss of water we put into the soil in agricultural production, we can get more efficiency from production by getting maximum benefit from irrigation. For this purpose, we can use polymers and polymer compounds in agricultural production to ensure water conservation in the soil. These compounds gradually release the water they have retained into the growing medium. For this reason, they are effective in preserving water in the soil in hot and arid climates. In this study, the general properties of polymers, their benefits in soil water conservation, usage methods and doses will be explained. And also, some information about the benefits of water holding polymers will also be given in the arid and semi-arid agricultural regions.