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Gels
Special Issues
Gels in Agriculture and Environment: Prospects and Challenges
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Gels in Agriculture and Environment: Prospects and Challenges

A special issue of Gels (ISSN 2310-2861). This special issue belongs to the section "Gel Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 April 2027 | Viewed by 1594

Editor

Dr. Yian Gu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Food Science and Light Industry, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 210009, China
Interests: biopolymer hydrogels; extracellular polymeric substances; plant-microbe interactions; soil microorganisms

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biopolymer hydrogels based on polysaccharides and polypeptides have emerged as versatile materials with applications in agriculture and the environment. These hydrogels possess high adsorption capacity for water and heavy metal ions, controlled release ability, and excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability. Such characteristics contribute to their effectiveness in promoting plant growth, modulating microbial interactions, remediating heavy metal-contaminated soil, facilitating soil nutrient cycling, and maintaining the viability of microbial inoculants.

This Special Issue, “Gels in Agriculture and Environment: Prospects and Challenges”, aims to collect research and review articles on biopolymer hydrogels derived from polysaccharides and polypeptides, with a focus on their applications in plant growth and soil improvement. As a Guest Editor, I kindly invite you to submit a research paper or review article on any topic related to this theme, including, but not limited to, the following:

  • New developments and characterization of biopolymer hydrogels;
  • Biopolymer hydrogels for maintaining the viability of agricultural microbial inoculants or for mediating soil microbial interactions;
  • Biopolymer hydrogels for the improvement of soil fertility, soil nutrient cycling, and plant growth;
  • Biopolymer hydrogels for the remediation of heavy metal-contaminated soils;
  • Polysaccharides and polypeptides for sustainable agriculture.

Dr. Yian Gu
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Gels is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biopolymer hydrogels
  • polysaccharides
  • polypeptides
  • soil improvement
  • sustainable agriculture

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 9770 KB  
Article
Synergistic Removal of Pb(II), Cd(II) and Cr(VI) by Chitosan-Encapsulated Phosphorus-Modified Biochar: Multi-Site Sorption and Immobilization
by Yang Feng, Min Zhou, Jiangyan Wu, Lingli Li, Haoming Chen and Lingyi Tang
Gels 2026, 12(8), 738; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels12080738 - 18 Aug 2026
Viewed by 185
Abstract
Heavy metal pollution has become a global environmental problem. Achieving efficient, stable, and sustainable immobilization of heavy metals by phosphorus (P)-modified biochar remains challenging because of the potential risk of P release. In this study, chitosan-embedded P-modified biochar (CPBC) was produced for the [...] Read more.
Heavy metal pollution has become a global environmental problem. Achieving efficient, stable, and sustainable immobilization of heavy metals by phosphorus (P)-modified biochar remains challenging because of the potential risk of P release. In this study, chitosan-embedded P-modified biochar (CPBC) was produced for the remediation of Pb(II), Cd(II), and Cr(VI). The specific surface area of CPBC was 5.5 times higher than that of the pristine biochar (BC), and the surface was enriched with functional groups such as -OH and -NH3. P-modification facilitated the precipitation of the heavy metals, and chitosan blocked the precipitates inside the biochar. The nature of BC safeguarded the ability to transfer electrons and reduce Cr(VI) to Cr(III), which was further enhanced by the chitosan. Hence, the maximum sorption capacities of CPBC for Pb(II), Cd(II), and Cr(VI) were 29.23%, 129.13%, and 122.12% greater than those of BC. The sequential extraction confirmed that the immobilized Pb(II), Cd(II), and Cr(VI) on CPBC were highly stable, with the sum of acid-soluble and nonbioavailable fractions accounting for 89.14%, 83.73%, and 93.53%, respectively. In addition, chitosan effectively suppressed P release from the P-modified biochar, thereby improving its environmental safety while maintaining excellent heavy metal immobilization performance. The present study demonstrates that CPBC is an effective, environmentally friendly, and universal sorbent to remediate heavy metal pollution in water. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gels in Agriculture and Environment: Prospects and Challenges)
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22 pages, 11770 KB  
Article
Welan Gum, a Bacterial Polysaccharide, Promotes Maize Seedling Growth Through TOR and MAPK Signaling Pathways
by Yulin Fu, Haoran Chen, Shuwen Wang, Wenhui Han, Lin Shen, Wenhui Ma, Xiaoxiao Gao, Wudeng Wang and Fang Yu
Gels 2026, 12(8), 724; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels12080724 - 14 Aug 2026
Viewed by 171
Abstract
Welan gum, a high-molecular-weight exopolysaccharide from Sphingomonas sp., exhibits exceptional rheological stability and robust hydrogel properties, emerging as a highly promising agricultural biomaterial. In this study, we show that the application of welan gum promotes maize seedling growth by enhancing nitrogen use efficiency [...] Read more.
Welan gum, a high-molecular-weight exopolysaccharide from Sphingomonas sp., exhibits exceptional rheological stability and robust hydrogel properties, emerging as a highly promising agricultural biomaterial. In this study, we show that the application of welan gum promotes maize seedling growth by enhancing nitrogen use efficiency via the coordinated transcriptional reprogramming of nitrogen regulators and transporters. Mechanistically, welan gum activates the TOR pathway and the MAPK cascade, leading to the phosphorylation of ZmS6K and the terminal MAPK ZmMPK3-1. Notably, TOR inhibition reduces ZmMPK3-1 phosphorylation, demonstrating that TOR activity is indispensable for MAPK activation. Furthermore, the TOR components ZmTOR and ZmLST8 physically interact with ZmMPK3-1, and ZmLST8 independently enhances ZmMPK3-1 kinase activity, revealing a multilayered regulatory mechanism triggered by welan gum. In addition, welan gum upregulates MPK3-targeted defense genes, effectively reconciling the plant growth–defense trade-off. Elucidating this TOR–MAPK crosstalk provides the mechanistic basis for translating welan gum into sustainable gel-based biofertilizers. Collectively, this study uncovers a cooperative signaling network that underpins welan gum-mediated growth promotion, establishing the strong potential of PGPR-derived polysaccharide hydrogels as sustainable, functional biofertilizers for modern agriculture. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gels in Agriculture and Environment: Prospects and Challenges)
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27 pages, 10787 KB  
Article
Cellulose-Based and Commercial Polyacrylate Hydrogels as Soil Amendments and Soilless Substrates for Microgreens Cultivation
by Aleksandra Mikhailidi, Lahbib Abenghal and Dan Belosinschi
Gels 2026, 12(7), 611; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels12070611 - 8 Jul 2026
Viewed by 756
Abstract
Water scarcity restricts agricultural productivity and crop yield in many regions. Hydrogels have emerged as promising materials for soil amendment and soilless cultivation. Herein, cellulose hydrogels prepared from waste paper via a DMAc/LiCl solvent system (HG-WP) and from cotton microcrystalline cellulose via NaOH/aq. [...] Read more.
Water scarcity restricts agricultural productivity and crop yield in many regions. Hydrogels have emerged as promising materials for soil amendment and soilless cultivation. Herein, cellulose hydrogels prepared from waste paper via a DMAc/LiCl solvent system (HG-WP) and from cotton microcrystalline cellulose via NaOH/aq. dissolution (HG-MCC) were investigated. HG-WP formed semi-solid, mechanically stable materials with high porosity, capable of retaining their shape during handling and plant cultivation, whereas HG-MCC appeared denser and less elastic. Their properties and agricultural performance were compared with those of a commercial polyacrylate hydrogel (HG-PA). The three hydrogels differed substantially in water capacity: HG-PA demonstrated the highest (50.13 g/g), whereas HG-WP and HG-MCC showed 30.57 and 3.66 g/g, respectively. Soil amended with 20 wt.% cellulose hydrogel exhibited improved water retention compared with untreated soil during the first 7 days of drying. Under laboratory conditions, hydrogels increased mustard biomass in soil under regular watering and plant survival under drought conditions. In soilless systems, cellulose hydrogels accelerated germination and improved plant development compared with control substrates. In soilless pea cultivation, HG-WP increased total biomass and survival from 56.7% to 79.3%. During basil cultivation in soil, cellulose hydrogel increased plant survival by 13.3% and mean biomass by 10.5% compared with the control. The results demonstrate the potential of cellulose hydrogels as biodegradable soil amendments and soilless substrates for short-cycle crop cultivation, outperforming the commercial polyacrylate hydrogel as an independent soilless substrate. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gels in Agriculture and Environment: Prospects and Challenges)
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