The growing global demands for food security, efficient water use, and environmentally resilient agricultural strategies call for a sustainable agricultural revolution. Water scarcity, the excessive use of pesticides, and soil degradation are viewed as threats to food security. Hydrogels, three-dimensional hydrophilic polymer networks, appear to be revolutionary solutions for the future. Hydrogels have emerged as a promising solution for enhancing crop resilience, enhancing crop yields, and agribusiness productivity. The development and prospects of hydrogels bring about a revolution in sustainable agriculture by focusing on their unique properties, including excellent water absorption capacity, biodegradability, and controlled nutrient/agrochemical delivery. Hydrogels have the potential to transform traditional farming practices into novel crop varieties with improved traits like disease resistance, insect resistance, and drought resistance. Hydrogels enhance soil moisture retention, thereby facilitating seed germination and establishment. Thus, it has been demonstrated that hydrogel application has a significant impact on soil quality and resilience under challenging conditions. With this in mind, this review emphasizes that hydrogels are the way forward for sustainable agriculture, taking into consideration the economic benefits like reduced irrigation and increased crop yields while highlighting the need for regulatory considerations in terms of their safety, biodegradability, environmental impact, and long-term soil effects.

Hydrogels have emerged as a transformative technology in agriculture, offering significant potential to enhance crop resilience, improve water use efficiency, and promote sustainable farming practices. These three-dimensional polymeric networks can absorb and retain water, making them particularly valuable in regions facing water scarcity and unpredictable rainfall patterns. This review examines the types, properties, and applications of hydrogels in agriculture, highlighting their role in improving soil moisture retention, enhancing nutrient delivery by, and increasing crop yield. The discussion extends to the economic and environmental implications of hydrogel use, including their potential to reduce irrigation costs by and minimize soil erosion. The review also explores the latest innovations in hydrogel technology, such as smart hydrogels and biodegradable alternatives, which offer new possibilities for precision agriculture and environmental sustainability. Despite promising benefits, challenges such as the higher cost of synthetic hydrogels, environmental impact, and performance variability across different soil types remain. Addressing these challenges requires a multidisciplinary approach that integrates advancements in material science, agronomy, and environmental policy. The future outlook for hydrogels in agriculture is optimistic, with ongoing research poised to refine their applications and expand their use across diverse agricultural systems. By leveraging the capabilities of hydrogels, agriculture can achieve increase in productivity, ensure food security, and move towards a more sustainable and resilient agricultural landscape.

Water scarcity, rapid soil moisture loss, and high evaporative demand severely limit vegetable production in arid regions such as Qatar. Sustainable soil amendments that enhance water retention and stabilize plant water status are therefore critical for improving productivity. This study evaluated a biodegradable hydrogel synthesized from date-palm leaf cellulose using a sodium alginate crosslinking method and assessed its effects on soil hydro-physical properties and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) performance under arid conditions. A pot experiment was conducted under semi-controlled conditions using a single-factor randomized complete design with three hydrogel rates (0, 1, and 2% w/w) and three replications, with one plant per pot. All treatments received the same seasonal irrigation depth, scheduled when soil moisture declined to approximately 60–65% of field capacity. The hydrogel exhibited rapid hydration behavior, reaching equilibrium within 30–60 min with a swelling ratio of 5.659 g g⁻¹, corresponding to a water uptake of 465.9%, and SEM analysis revealed a porous internal structure favorable for water retention. At 1 and 2% application rates, hydrogel significantly reduced bulk density, increased total porosity and field capacity, and maintained higher soil moisture across irrigation cycles. Tomato plants grown in hydrogel-amended pots showed substantial gains in fresh biomass and root length, together with higher chlorophyll content, leaf nitrogen concentration, and relative water content. Water use efficiency improved significantly at 1% hydrogel, whereas the 2% rate showed a positive but non-significant trend. Overall, the results demonstrate that hydrogels derived from date-palm waste can enhance soil water retention, plant physiological status, and tomato productivity, offering a locally relevant strategy to improve agricultural resilience in arid environments.