Ecologel Solutions, LLC is sharing new research from the University of Illinois that proves Hydretain significantly reduces water use while enhancing plant quality.
In some cases, Hydretain benefits may be far greater than they initially appear. Such was the case for this University of Illinois Research Study. Initially, the researcher noted water savings of 33%, 30% and 13% for Hydretain treated versus untreated peppers, tomatoes and turfgrass respectively. Upon further observation the researcher noted that the Hydretain treated plants were substantially superior in size and quality than the untreated controls. When comparing the reduction in water use to relative plant mass, Hydretain treated plants significantly outperformed their untreated counterparts.
Research Highlights
- Hydretain treated peppers were generally much greener, greater in height, had many more leaves, and used significantly less water than untreated plants.
- Hydretain treated peppers used 47-65% less water than controls per gram of dry matter produced.
- Hydretain treated tomatoes used 67-74% less water compared to controls per gram of dry matter produced.
- Hydretain treated turfgrass, irrespective of formulation, used 52-65% less water than controls per gram of dry matter produced.
- Hydretain treated turfgrass exhibited significantly greener color and turf quality than untreated controls.
- At no time were any negative effects of Hydretain observed on treated plants. ”Taken together the measurements of dry matter yield and water use, there was a clear advantage to the use of Hydretain in enhancing plant growth while using much less water than control plants to generate plant tissue.” - S. Henning Department of Crop Sciences University of Illinois