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Synthetic Soil Conditioners

These are synthetic compounds which act as stabilizers of naturally occur­ring soil aggregates. Their value lies in their inherent ability to resist microbial degradation and not in merely helping in the formation of new aggregates.

They simulate microbial polysaccharides in binding soil ag­gregates and are known as Krillium type conditioners―Polyacrylic acid (PAA), Polyacrylonitrile (PAN), hydrolysed Polyacrylonitrile (HPAN) and Vinyl acetate-maleic acid copolymer (VAMA).

Such compounds are active in concentrations of about 0.1-0.2% (per unit dry weight of soil) in an aqueous phase. Soil conditioners have not been very popular because of the high cost and the necessity of frequent application to obtain desired results.