ABSTRACT
For the last 15 years there has been growing interest in using soil conditioners or superabsorbent materials to improve physical properties of coarse textured soils of arid and semiarid regions. The purpose of applying soil conditioners is to improve soil physical properties, thus to maintain soil productivity and reduce environmental problems. Furthermore, the high swelling characteristics of such soil conditioners upon wetting resulted in numerous voids, decreased bulk density, and increased the porosity of the treated soil. It is well documented that water holding capacity increases with the addition of soil conditioners. Thus many researchers have studied the effect of soil conditioners on infiltration and found that soil conditioners can be effective in reducing the infiltration rate of sandy soils In the last two years, research has started to address the effect of these soil conditioners on pH, electrical conductivity, and micronutrient availability.
