Innovative Solutions for Drought: Evaluating Hydrogel Application on Onion Cultivation (Allium cepa) in Morocco

Water, vol. 15, pp. 1972

Abstract

Throughout the last decade, and particularly in 2022, water scarcity has become a critical concern in Morocco and other Mediterranean countries. The lack of rainfall during spring was worsened by a succession of heat waves during the summer. To address this drought, innovative solutions, including the use of new technologies such as hydrogels, will be essential to transform agriculture. This paper presents the findings of a study that evaluated the impact of hydrogel application on onion (Allium cepa) cultivation in Meknes, Morocco. The treatments investigated in this study comprised two different types of hydrogel-based soil additives (Arbovit® polyacrylate and Huminsorb® polyacrylate), applied at two rates (30 and 20 kg/ha), and irrigated at two levels of water supply (100% and 50% of daily crop evapotranspiration; ETc). Two control treatments were included, without hydrogel application and with both water amounts. The experiment was conducted in an open field using a completely randomized design. The results indicated a significant impact of both hydrogel-type dose and water dose on onion plant growth, as evidenced by various vegetation parameters. Among the hydrogels tested, Huminsorb® Polyacrylate produced the most favorable outcomes, with treatment T9 (100%, HP, 30 kg/ha) yielding 70.55 t/ha; this represented an increase of 11 t/ha as compared to the 100% ETc treatment without hydrogel application. Moreover, the combination of hydrogel application with 50% ETc water stress showed promising results, with treatment T4 (HP, 30 kg, 50%) producing almost the same yield as the 100% ETc treatment without hydrogel while saving 208 mm of water.

Authors 11

1. Omnia El Bergui

   École Nationale d'Agriculture de Meknès · Institut Agronomique et Vétérinaire Hassan II

   Affiliation as printed

   Departement of Agronomic and Agri-Food Science, Institut Agronomique et Vétérinaire Hassan II, Rabat 10101, Morocco

   Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Ecole Nationale d’Agriculture de Meknès, Meknes 50001, Morocco

2. Aziz Abouabdillah corresponding

   École Nationale d'Agriculture de Meknès

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Ecole Nationale d’Agriculture de Meknès, Meknes 50001, Morocco

3. Mohamed Bourioug

   École Nationale d'Agriculture de Meknès

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Ecole Nationale d’Agriculture de Meknès, Meknes 50001, Morocco

4. Dominik Schmitz Aachen IAP—Institute for Applied Polymer Chemistry

   FH Aachen

   Affiliation as printed

   IAP—Institute for Applied Polymer Chemistry, University of Applied Sciences Aachen, 52428 Aachen, Germany

5. Abdellah Aboudrare

   École Nationale d'Agriculture de Meknès

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Ecole Nationale d’Agriculture de Meknès, Meknes 50001, Morocco

6. Manuel Krauß Aachen Research Institute of Water Management and Climate Future

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Research Institute of Water Management and Climate Future, RWTH Aachen University, 52062 Aachen, Germany

7. Ahlem Jomaa Aachen Research Institute of Water Management and Climate Future

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Research Institute of Water Management and Climate Future, RWTH Aachen University, 52062 Aachen, Germany

8. Sebastian Romuli

   University of Hohenheim

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Agricultural Engineering, University of Hohenheim, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany

9. Joachim Mueller

   University of Hohenheim

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Agricultural Engineering, University of Hohenheim, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany

10. Mustapha Fagroud

    École Nationale d'Agriculture de Meknès

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Ecole Nationale d’Agriculture de Meknès, Meknes 50001, Morocco

11. Rachid Bouabid

    École Nationale d'Agriculture de Meknès

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Ecole Nationale d’Agriculture de Meknès, Meknes 50001, Morocco