Abstract ID: 3.12781 | Accepted as Poster | Talk | TBA | TBA

Agriculture in mountain regions faces significant challenges due to water stress, erratic precipitation and fragile soil structures, exacerbated by climate change. Nature-based solutions are essential for enhancing ecosystem resilience and green, cellulose-based hydrogels derived from bamboo offer a promising approach to alleviate water limitations in these ecologically sensitive zones by enhancing soil moisture retention, improving crop resilience and reducing irrigation dependency. These biodegradable hydrogels can effectively support sustainable agriculture in the Indian Himalayan region, where traditional water management practices are often inadequate in the face of changing climate patterns. Hydrogels, which are three-dimensional polymeric network having the ability to absorb tremendous amount of water can be obtained from renewable natural resources owing to the limitations associated with synthetic petrochemical-based materials. The present research is an unprecedented work which inculcates utilization of bamboo for preparing cellulose-based hydrogels using non-toxic, environment friendly crosslinkers. The synthesized hydrogels after chemical crosslinking reactions showed appreciable water retention capacity (swelling degree) upto 1800%. The structure of the hydrogels was characterized and validated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). The current research provides a promising green strategy for synthesizing completely biobased ecofriendly hydrogels which are of increasing pursuit in the fields of mountain agriculture. Farmers in the Indian Himalayan region rely on rainfed agriculture with limited irrigation options, making water scarcity a major challenge. These hydrogels can therefore improve water-use efficiency, reduce irrigation needs and enhance agricultural crop yields, making them a valuable solution for boosting agricultural productivity of crops like finger millet (Eleusine coracana), amaranth (Amaranthus caudatus), buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum), barley (Hordeum vulgare), kidney beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) and apple (Malus domestica)—staples of Himalayan agriculture. This study also paves the way for future research on green hydrogels to promote plant establishment and accelerate forest restoration programmes in drought-prone mountain regions. Future efforts can focus on scaling up applications to support sustainable land management and climate-resilient refores