A treated medium for plant growth includes (A) a medium for plant growth and (B) a water retaining composition disposed on the medium. The composition also includes (1) an alcohol alkoxylate, (2) water, (3) a surfactant, and (4) a humectant. The (1) alcohol alkoxylate has the structure:
R-(EO).sub.m—(PO).sub.n-(EO).sub.y—(PO).sub.z—OH
in which R is a C.sub.3-C.sub.14 linear or branched aliphatic carbon chain, EO is ethylene oxide, m is from 0 to 20, y is from 0 to 20, PO is propylene oxide, n is from 1 to 40, z is from 0 to 40, and (m+y) is at least 1. The (3) surfactant and (4) humectant are chosen from specific compounds. The treated medium has a water retention of from 100 to 400 grams of water per 100 grams of treated medium as compared to a control medium that is free of the water retaining composition.

A treated medium for plant growth includes (A) a medium for plant growth and (B) a water retaining composition disposed on the medium. The composition also includes (1) an alcohol alkoxylate, (2) water, (3) a surfactant, and (4) a humectant. The (1) alcohol alkoxylate has the structure:
R-(EO).sub.m—(PO).sub.n-(EO).sub.y—(PO).sub.z—OH
in which R is a C.sub.3-C.sub.14 linear or branched aliphatic carbon chain, EO is ethylene oxide, m is from 0 to 20, y is from 0 to 20, PO is propylene oxide, n is from 1 to 40, z is from 0 to 40, and (m+y) is at least 1. The (3) surfactant and (4) humectant are chosen from specific compounds. The treated medium has a water retention of from 100 to 400 grams of water per 100 grams of treated medium as compared to a control medium that is free of the water retaining composition.

The present invention relates to polymeric soil conditioner as a new water absorbing polymeric material and a process for the production of water absorbing materials consisting of a combination of synthetic polymers and biopolymers, with an improved high water absorbency at repeated watering, capable to reduce the effect of accumulation of salts in polymeric matrix as of multiple cycles of swelling-deswelling that occurs during all period of living of vegetable culture, by decreasing of crosslinking density of three dimensional network of the material caused by biochemical processes that developed in polymeric gels.

The present invention relates to polymeric soil conditioner as a new water absorbing polymeric material and a process for the production of water absorbing materials consisting of a combination of synthetic polymers and biopolymers, with an improved high water absorbency at repeated watering, capable to reduce the effect of accumulation of salts in polymeric matrix as of multiple cycles of swelling-deswelling that occurs during all period of living of vegetable culture, by decreasing of crosslinking density of three dimensional network of the material caused by biochemical processes that developed in polymeric gels.

Disclosed herein is a soil remediation and soil pore stabilising composition comprising at least one electrolyte and at least one cofactor.

Disclosed herein is a soil remediation and soil pore stabilising composition comprising at least one electrolyte and at least one cofactor.

Method for improving the performances of systemic active substances and microbial inoculants comprising the step of applying onto the soil a liquid aqueous formulation comprising a systemic active substance or a microbial inoculant and a depolymerized carboxymethyl cellulose having a weight average molecular weight comprised between 10,000 and 80,000 dalton.

A sand fixing agent derived from palm tree frond comprises poly-(acrylamide) grafted carboxymethyl cellulose and a carbon alkanal.

A sand fixing agent derived from palm tree frond comprises poly-(acrylamide) grafted carboxymethyl cellulose and a carbon alkanal.

A polyelectrolyte-surfactant complex, a method of removing a toxic substance from contaminated soil or contaminated groundwater using a polyelectrolyte-surfactant complex and a method of making a polyelectrolyte-surfactant complex. The polyelectrolyte-surfactant complex is made from a complexated recombinant intrinsically disordered protein that has been electrostatically conjugated to an anionic surfactant to provide enhanced liquid-liquid phase separation properties.