New superabsorbent hydrogels (SH) could be groundbreaking technologies for the adaptation of agriculture to climate change, but knowledge about their physio-chemical traits, their effects on soil hydrology, and their efficacy on tree crop physiology is very limited. In this work, two potassium polyacrylate SH (SH1 and SH2) and an organic material derived SH (SH3) were tested for their water holding capacity and the capability to improve soil hydrology according to the water demands of cultivated grapevine, one of the most relevant rainfed tree crops. All SH absorbed a significant amount of water as compared to their relative weight (from 9.19 g H2O/g polymer of SH3, to 369.64 g H2O/g polymer of SH2) and made it available at water potential (Ψ) levels compatible with grapevine root system uptake. When incorporated to the soil, all SH successfully increased soil field capacity, affecting also wilting point, and increasing maximum plant available water (from +43 % of SH2 to +84 % of SH1). All SH increased stem Ψ of potted vines subjected to a progressive water deficit, as compared to controls (+0.25 MPa at four days from irrigation suspension, +0.2 MPa at eight days from water suspension, when Control vines showed a stem Ψ of −1.63 MPa).Our work demonstrated for the first time the potentialities of three different SH and their positive effects on soil water relations. Both synthetic and organic-derived SH could improve vine water status under limited water supply. While other studies are needed to clarify effects according to different rootstocks and soils, the results pave the way for the integration of SH in vineyard water management.

中文翻译：

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高吸水性水凝胶：葡萄园水分管理的新工具？


新的高吸水性水凝胶 （SH） 可能是使农业适应气候变化的开创性技术，但关于其理化特性、它们对土壤水文的影响以及它们对树木作物生理学的功效的了解非常有限。在这项工作中，测试了两种聚丙烯酸钾 SH （SH1 和 SH2） 和一种有机材料衍生的 SH （SH3） 的持水能力，以及根据栽培葡萄藤（最相关的雨养树木作物之一）的需水量改善土壤水文的能力。与它们的相对重量相比（从 SH3 的 9.19 g H2O/g 聚合物到 SH2 的 369.64 g H2O/g 聚合物），所有 SH 都吸收了大量的水，并使其在与葡萄根系吸收兼容的水势 （Ψ） 水平下可用。当掺入土壤时，所有 SH 都成功地增加了土壤田的容量，也影响了枯萎点，并增加了植物的最大可用水（从 SH2 的 +43 % 增加到 SH1 的 +84 %）。与对照相比，所有 SH 都增加了盆栽葡萄藤的茎 Ψ，暂停灌溉 4 天时为 +0.25 MPa，暂停灌溉后 8 天为 +0.2 MPa，此时对照葡萄藤的茎 Ψ 为 -1.63 MPa）。我们的工作首次证明了三种不同 SH 的潜力及其对土壤水关系的积极影响。合成和有机衍生的 SH 都可以在有限的供水下改善葡萄藤的水分状况。虽然需要其他研究来阐明根据不同砧木和土壤的影响，但结果为将 SH 整合到葡萄园水管理中铺平了道路。