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News: ICAR-IIOR, Hyderabad, has developed a patented biopolymer-based Smart Seed Coating Technology to improve seed quality and climate resilience.
About Smart Seed Coating Technology
- Smart Seed Coating Technology is an Indian-patented, biodegradable seed enhancement platform that improves seed performance from the earliest stages of crop growth.
- Developed By: The technology was developed and scientifically validated by the ICAR–Indian Institute of Oilseeds Research (ICAR-IIOR) based in Hyderabad.
- Aim: The technology aims to strengthen climate-resilient agriculture, reduce production risks in rainfed farming systems, and improve overall crop productivity by protecting seedlings from climatic and environmental stresses.
- Working Mechanism
- Protective Coating: The technology uses biodegradable biopolymers to form a multifunctional protective layer around seeds.
- Input Delivery: The coating serves as a delivery platform for beneficial microorganisms, nutrients, micronutrients, crop protection agents, and plant growth-promoting compounds at the seed-soil interface.
- Favourable Microenvironment: It creates a favourable microenvironment that supports faster germination, stronger seedling growth, and better root development.
- Stress Tolerance: The coating enhances tolerance to both biotic and abiotic stresses during the crop establishment stage.
- Key Features:
- Biodegradable Technology: It uses biodegradable biopolymers and functions as a multifunctional seed enhancement platform.
- Integrated Support: The technology combines protection, nutrition, and biological support in a single seed treatment.
- Customizable Application: It can be tailored for cereals, millets, pulses, oilseeds, fibre crops, fodder crops, vegetables, spices, and horticultural crops.
- Productivity Improvement: All India Coordinated Research Project on Seed (AICRP-Seed) trials reported productivity gains of 12% to 37% over untreated seeds, while Telangana trials showed nearly 30% higher yields in groundnut and soybean.
- Suitable for Rainfed Areas: The technology is particularly valuable for rainfed agriculture and helps improve crop resilience and establishment.
