Cholavardan et al. (2026) Soil Moisture Dynamics, Bulk Density, and Economic Water Productivity of Wheat as Influenced by Irrigation Scheduling and Hydrogel Application

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Journal of Experimental Agriculture International
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-09-28
• Authors: Dade Cholavardan, Sushanth, Shashank Tyagi
• DOI: 10.9734/jeai/2026/v48i104535

Research Groups

• Department of Agronomy, Bihar Agricultural University
• Department of Soil Science, Bihar Agricultural University

Short Summary

This study evaluates the effects of irrigation scheduling and hydrogel application on soil moisture dynamics, economic returns, and water productivity of wheat. The main finding is that Nano hydrogel improves soil moisture retention, soil structure, and economic returns from wheat.

Objective

• To evaluate the impact of irrigation scheduling and hydrogel application on soil moisture dynamics, soil bulk density, economics, and economic water productivity of wheat.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Field experiment conducted at Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour, Bhagalpur, Bihar, India.
• Temporal Scale: Winter (Rabi) season of 2020-21.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: None mentioned in the paper.
• Data sources:
  • Soil moisture content measured by time-domain reflectometry.
  • Bulk density measurements before sowing and after harvest.
  • Input costs and prevailing market prices for economic calculations.

Main Results

• Each irrigation produced a sharp rise in soil moisture followed by progressive depletion.
• Nano hydrogel sustained the highest soil moisture content at every stage, with moisture depleting 26-30% more slowly than in the control.
• Three irrigations gave the highest gross return (Rs 100,990 ha-1) and net return (Rs 58,082 ha-1).
• EWP declined with irrigation frequency (56.07 to 26.89 Rs m-3) and was highest under Vedic hydrogel among the cost-efficient treatments.

Contributions

The study contributes to existing literature by demonstrating the benefits of hydrogel amendment on soil moisture retention, soil structure, and economic returns from wheat. The results highlight the importance of irrigation scheduling and hydrogel application in improving water productivity.

Funding

• This research was funded by [project/program name and reference code not mentioned in the paper].

Citation

@article{Cholavardan2026Soil,
  author = {Cholavardan, Dade and Sushanth and Tyagi, Shashank},
  title = {Soil Moisture Dynamics, Bulk Density, and Economic Water Productivity of Wheat as Influenced by Irrigation Scheduling and Hydrogel Application},
  journal = {Journal of Experimental Agriculture International},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.9734/jeai/2026/v48i104535},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.9734/jeai/2026/v48i104535}
}