Seed Coating: A Farmer-Friendly Technique For Producing Crops

The world’s population is increasing, and so is the need to feed the population.

Seeds provide nutrition and protection to the embryo.

The growth and development of the plant as a whole depend upon the performance of the seed.

The yield, performance of the plant, and its resistance to undesirable parameters depend upon the emergence and germination rate of the seed.

Seeds are powerhouses of nutrition, which makes them perishable.

Various biological, physical, and chemical parameters affect the performance of both the seed and the seedlings.

As we know, seeds are rich in nutrition, which makes them susceptible to various biological flora, including bacteria, fungi, pests, insects, and nematodes.

Physical parameters, such as dust & temperature, also affect the seeds. High temperatures cause seed desiccation, which affects the embryo.

To generate a healthy quantity and quality of food crops, the health of the seeds needs to be taken into consideration.

What is Seed Coating?

Seed coating technology involves the technique in which seeds are supplemented with various materials, including nutritional elements, plant growth regulators, chemicals, and pesticides, to improve seed vigor by adding an adhesive substance.

Various natural and synthetic polymers can be used as adhesives for coating seeds.

Natural polymers, such as cellulose, Chitosan, Acacia gum, and Starch, can be used.

Synthetic polymers, such as polyethylene glycol, Polyvinyl acetate, and polyvinylpyrrolidone, can be used in seed coating technology.

A slurry is created, which is used for coating the seed, consisting of a polymer (adhesive), antifungal and antibacterial agents (protection against pathogenic bacterial and fungal cultures), Color (for improving aesthetic value), and Plant growth hormones (auxin and cytokinin as plant growth regulators).

• The advantage of this seed coating technology is that the seed’s quality is not compromised by any external factors.
• Disadvantages include uneven coating and thickness of the seed coat, which can hinder emergence and germination rates.

The solution to this problem can be filming the materials.

Seed filming is a technique in which the slurry is sprayed onto the seeds as they flow through or are dropped into an automated machine.

A thin layer of required material is coated onto the seeds by spraying, using the seed filming technique.

The polymer used in this technique dries quickly; therefore, the seeds can germinate through the dry polymeric coating after sowing.

Seeds, when treated with various materials, can help improve the performance prior to sowing.

An environmentally safer way to use insecticides, pesticides, and fertilizers is through seed coating, as the quantities required are in very small amounts.

Seed coating technology does not hamper the genetic makeup.

Therefore, this technique is a far more farmer-friendly & environment-friendly way to improve the yield and quality of crops.

Organica Biotech utilizes seed coating technology to develop advanced, environmentally friendly, and sustainable products that promote agricultural growth.

Also Read:

• Paving The Way For Sustainable Agriculture with Biological Seed Treatment
• Microbes: Every Farmer’s Not So Secret Superstar