An innovative air-permeable watertight material (hereinafter “Breathable Sand”) was invented and has been used in various agricultural applications. Proprietary coating and surface modification processes are applied on desert sand particles, and thus the air permeability can be retained, while the material is watertight due to its water repellency properties. Breathable Sand has been used as a liner in salt-affected fields in Inner Mongolia and Tianjin in China. After years of its initial application, no salt intrusion in the root zone was observed. In addition, studies in Zhejiang Province showed that about a 30% water saving can be achieved with 3 cm of Breathable Sand applied below the roots in rice fields, compared to conventional rice fields. Roots were stronger and the average leaf count, grain weight, grain per ear, matured grain count, and grain maturity rates were also higher.