Hydrogels are a promising management option to increase the efficiency of water use in agriculture in arid and semi-arid regions. However, abiotic factors may affect hydrogel efficacy. The effect of abiotic stress on the swelling and residual acrylamide in hydrogels was evaluated. The treatments were three hydrogels (A, B and C), four temperatures (20, 30, 40 and 65 °C) and two salinities (0.003 and 3.0 dS m⁻¹). The swelling degree and the residual acrylamide concentration of the hydrogels were measured. Data were analyzed with univariate and multivariate statistics. The swelling order of hydrogels under low salinity was A>C>B; at high salinity was B>A>C. All hydrogels presented swelling reduction at high salinity, with swelling reductions in A and C of 97% and 85%, respectively, while B presented a swelling reduction of 37% at 20 °C and greater than 89% at higher temperatures. Hydrogel B achieved good swelling under saline conditions, but only at 20 °C. Thus, the temperature tolerance of this hydrogel should be improved so it can be used to improve water use efficiency in regions with high temperatures and salinity levels. Residual acrylamide levels of hydrogels decreased by 95% over 30 days, being safe for agricultural applications.

水凝胶是增加干旱和半干旱地区农业用水效率的有前途的管理选择。但是，非生物因素可能会影响水凝胶的功效。评估了非生物胁迫对水凝胶中溶胀和残留丙烯酰胺的影响。处理为三种水凝胶（A，B和C），四种温度（20、30、40和65°C）和两种盐度（0.003和3.0 dS m ^-1）。测量水凝胶的溶胀度和残余丙烯酰胺浓度。用单变量和多变量统计分析数据。低盐度下水凝胶的溶胀顺序为A> C> B; 高盐度时，B> A> C。所有水凝胶在高盐度下均显示出溶胀降低，A和C溶胀分别降低97％和85％，而B在20°C时溶胀降低37％，在较高温度下溶胀降低超过89％。水凝胶B在盐水条件下（但仅在20°C时）实现了良好的溶胀。因此，应当改善这种水凝胶的温度耐受性，以便可以将其用于在高温和盐度水平较高的地区提高用水效率。水凝胶中残留的丙烯酰胺水平在30天内降低了95％，可安全用于农业。