Antonio Di Martino, Kadir Ozaltin, Maya Ismayati, Eko Budi Santoso, Syahidah Syahidah, Widya Fatriasari, Sri Suhartini, Lee Seng Hua
Sustainable strategies are urgently needed to enhance crop performance while reducing environmental impacts from conventional fertilizers. Humic acid is an effective biostimulant, but rapid leaching limits its utility. In this study, pectin-lignin biohydrogels derived from biowaste were developed to deliver humic acid efficiently and improve soil water retention. The physically crosslinked hydrogels exhibit 42% porosity, 600% swelling, strong mechanical stability, and biodegrade in soil within two months. Humic acid release is pH-responsive, with faster release under neutral and alkaline conditions. Experiments conducted using rapessed plants under water-deficit conditions with rapeseed, clearly indicate the use of hydrogels led an increase of the plants water content, up to 87%, and a reduction of TBARS, anthocyanin and proline content, which indicate the response of the plant to the stress. The use of hydrogel application partially restored plant water status, reduced biomass loss, and enhanced soil moisture retention. These findings highlight the synergistic effects of controlled biostimulant delivery and improved water-holding capacity. This work establishes pectin-lignin hydrogels as a sustainable, multifunctional platform for enhancing crop resilience and mitigating drought stress. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2026.
Center for Biomass and Bioproducts, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN). Kawasan KST Habibie, Tangerang, Serpong, Indonesia; School in Chemistry and Applied Biomedical Technology, Tomsk Polytechnic University, Lenin Avenue 32, Tomsk, 634050, Russian Federation; Centre of Polymer Systems, Tomas Bata University in Zlin, Zlin, Czech Republic; Department of Forest Products, Faculty of Forestry and Environment, IPB University, Bogor, 16680, Indonesia; Faculty of Forestry, Hasanuddin University, Makassar, Indonesia; Department of Agro-industrial Technology, Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia; UPT UB Green Campus, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia; Department of Wood Industry, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA Pahang Branch Jengka Campus, 26400 Bandar Tun Abdul Razak, Pahang, Malaysia; Institute for Infrastructure Engineering and Sustainable Management (IIESM), Universiti Teknologi MARA, Selangor, Shah Alam, 40450, Malaysia
