Seed Coating

Coatings first were developed for cereal seeds in the 1930’s. The objective of coating is to deliver the seed in a form that is larger, rounder, smoother, heavier and more uniform than the original seed. Seeds are coated for ease of handling, singulation, precision placement and the incorporation of beneficial chemicals or microbials. Coated seeds are accepted widely as a standard product for many crops. The crop greatly benefits by the microorganisms freeing up nutrients and extending the root system.

Benefits to seed priming include:

• Faster speed of emergence.
• Enables seed to germinate and emerge even under adverse agro-climatic conditions,
  for example in cold and wet’ or under hot, conditions.
• Improves uniformity to optimize harvesting efficiency.
• Increases vigor for fast and strong plant development
• Increases yield potential

Seed coatings produced with an inert powder can be of two types:

Melt Coats

• Melt coats dissolve when wet and gradually wash away from around the seed. 
• Melt coats often require more water to wash the coating material away from the seed, and more time for the oxygen to reach the seed through the saturated coating material. Melt coats may offer advantages when soils are saturated , but oxygen availability always influences the speed, uniformity and total percentage of germination.

Split Coats

• Split coats initially retain their shape when wet and, by capillary action, pass moisture through the pill to be imbibed by the seed. The seed swells and cracks the pill by internal turgor pressure. 
• Split coats often permit germination with less water, as they split, allow uniform, rapid oxygen access to the surface of the seed.