Rain is always welcome in agriculture—especially after prolonged dry spells. In the arid Weinviertel region, it is currently particularly evident just how valuable every bit of rainfall is. But when it does rain, in many places it amounts to only 2, 3, or 5 millimeters.
That doesn’t sound like much—and in fact, such small amounts of rain aren’t enough in agriculture to tide farmers over a prolonged dry spell. Unless some of this water can be stored in the soil and kept available to the plants for a longer period of time.
Even small amounts of precipitation can result in considerable volumes of water over a large area: 2 mm of rain on one hectare already amounts to about 20,000 liters of water.
But not every one of those liters stays where the plants need it. Depending on the soil, vegetation, and intensity of the precipitation, some of it runs off the surface, some evaporates, and only a portion seeps into the ground. The portion that penetrates the soil is therefore particularly valuable—because it is precisely this water that can be stored in the root zone.
So the key question isn’t just: How much rain falls? It’s also: How much of it can we store?
A simple calculation
POLYSORB can absorb and store up to 300 times its own weight in water.
At an application rate of about 40 kg per hectare, this results in:
40 kg POLYSORB × 300 = up to 12,000 liters of water
That’s 12 m³ of additional water storage capacity in the soil.
This storage effect can be crucial, especially when rainfall is rare and light: POLYSORB absorbs water when it is available and gradually releases it back into the environment over several weeks as conditions become drier.
And not just once: As soon as storage capacity becomes available again, POLYSORB® can absorb water once more when it rains or when the area is watered.
Record. Save. Play back. Record again.
This cycle can repeat itself over a period of 3 to 5 years.
40 kg per hectare. Holds up to 12,000 liters of water. Can be refilled repeatedly. Effective for 3–5 years.
We can’t control when the next rain will fall. But we can help keep the water that does fall where it’s needed for longer.
