Composite hydrogels of poly(acrylamide-co-acrylate) with rice husk ash (RHA) were synthesized and studies of the swelling variables were accomplished comparatively with commercial polyacrylamide gel and PAMACRYL, a poly(acrylamide-co-acrylate) hydrogel without RHA. FT-IR and WAXS were the techniques employed for characterizing a series of hydrogel obtained by varying the percentage of RHA (1, 2, 5, 10, and 20 wt %) and the amount of crosslinking agent (0.05, 0.1, and 0.2 mol %) relative to sum of AAm and AAc. Superabsorbent hydrogel with W(eq) > 800 g H(2)O/g gel was obtained with percentage of 10 wt% of RHA and 0.1 of crosslinking agent mol %. The hydro-gel showed to be sensitive to the pH variation and to the presence of salts. The hydrogels, even though submitted through cycles of drying and swelling, preserved their superabsorbent characteristics and demonstrated better water absorbance properties when compared with commercial polyacrylamide gel. The composite hydrogels of poly(acrylamide-co-acrylate) with RHA presented good characteristics to be applied as soil conditioner for using in agriculture. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 123: 879-887, 2012