Sky-Gel for Agriculture use

Mebiol Inc.,

SKYGEL...a water conservation agent for horticulture & agriculture

A brief introduction to Sky gel

A water retention material for agricultural usage

(About information to use Sky gel for Tissue culture, click here)

 Sky Gel – a break through discovery by Prof. Mori Yuichi et al of Waseda University , Tokyo , Japan has its roots in Medical materials development. In the process of developing a polymer based coating for their vascular graft, Prof. Mori and his team discovered this gel which eventually was found to have exorbitant water retention properties similar to the regular Super Absorbing Polymers (SAP) used in the diapers.

But what makes this gel stand apart from the SAP is its properties which allow plants to grow, where as the SAP doesnt. Originally it was thought that the SAP is not suitable for plant growth because of its high absorption capacity. But Prof. Mori et al have discovered that the SAP adsorbs Calcium and releases Sodium ions which are not good for the plant.

Left Extreme is Sky Gel showing plant growth and the rest regular SAP of different brands dont allow plants grow.

The Sky Gel is chemically a cross linked Acrylic acid polymer salt contains calcium acrylate as well and so it doesn’t adsorbs the Calcium. The water retention capacity is also preserved like the SAP.

This Sky Gel when mixed with water swells 160 to 180 times of its original volume and retains the water. This property is very suitable for plant cultivation in places with water scarcity. Studies have shown that regular watering may not be necessary for lawns as well as water irrigation frequency can be reduced in horticultural usage, when the cultivation is done on soil mixed with the Sky Gel.

Sky Gel when mixed with the regular fertile soil before planting, absorbs water and swells. Subsequently releases water to the roots of the plants.

Left to right: Lava from Mt Fuji; with 0.05% Sky gel; with .15% Sky Gel showing plant growth.

The Japanese government has given a subsidy for the developments of this technology , upon seeing the plants grow in the lava of Mt Fuji when Sky Gel is mixed in to it.

Left to right: Cucumber plan with 0% ;0% ; 0.5%; 1% and 2.0% Sky Gel Mix.

Cucumber plants when cultivated in a soil mixed with Sky Gel (2% W/V) could withstand high temperatures up to 37 C for four days without watering.

Gold Crest and Azalea compared with (left side pot) and without (Right side pot) Sky Gel mix.

Plants like Gold crest (left) and Azalea (right) are also showing significant difference with and without Sky Gel usage as shown above.

In Tokyo city in 90 different roof gardens on skyscrapers Sky gel is used. There is also a proposal from the Government of Singapore for such roof gardens in their territory. Roof gardening could reduce the temperature of the room by 7 C and combat the ill effects of the heat island phenomenon and reduce CO2 concentration.

The above comparative study in lawns show that grass could withstand high temperatures in spite of not watering for 2 weeks, when Sky gel mix has been used (Three in the upper row and the extreme right in lower row). The left two in the lower row show grass on regular soil which has succumbed to the scarcity of water under same temperature and conditions like the ones planted on Sky Gel mixed soil. The Japanese government bas also officially permitted the usage of SkyGel for etsblishing Roof-Top gardens and on the slopes beside the Highways. (Click here to see some pictures)

For further information Contact: 

M/S Nichi-In Bio Sciences (P) Ltd, Chennai-94 Tel: 23720805, 23720806 (e.mail: info@nichiin.com) or 

M/S GN Corporation Ltd., Japan (niddjapan@gncorporation.com; Fax: +81-552-357569)

(About information to use Sky gel for Tissue culture, click here)

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For enquiries contact us at +91-44-23720805 or by email: info@nichiin.com

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