Seed pelleting scope and constraints in vegetables.pptx

1. Seed pelleting- Scope and Constraints in vegetables
Presented by:
Babanjeet (L-2019-H-208-M)
Parameshwar R (L-2019-H-212-M)
Department of Vegetable Science

2. Introduction
 Seed pelleting is a pre-sowing management where the seed is enclosed in a filler
material using an adhesive.
 Standardized size for precision planting (Halmer, 2006).
 The inert material creates natural water holding media and provides a small
amount of nutrients to young seedlings (Krishnasamy, 2003).
 Seed pelleting resulted in more rapid and synchronous germination particularly
when their seed size is very small (Halmer, 2003).
 Seeds of various sizes are commercially pelleted, from relatively large seeds like
onion and tomato to very small seeds like lettuce species.

3. Why seed pelleting?
 Reduce the quantitative and qualitative loss
 To reduce the rate of deterioration specially in vegetable crops
 Maintaining quality of the seed for longer storage
 Nutrient benefits
 Protection from abiotic or biotic stress
 To improve seed germination
 Safe application of agricultural chemicals
 Protection from rodents, birds, and insects
 Brand identification
 Certain crop seeds are to light and small
 Pre-inoculation of legumes

4. History
 Techniques more than 2000 years old.
 Ancient Chinese coated rice with mud balls for better anchor of seed to avoid drifting in floating
paddy field.
 In modern era coating was first developed for cereal seeds in 1930’s by Garmains, a British seed
company.
 Large scale use of coating began in 1960s with precision sowing in Polyhouses in Europe.
 When California outlawed the short handle hoe in mid 1970’s, the use of coated seeds for
precision field seeder increased.
 The combination of US field precision seeding and greenhouse transplant production, created a
demand for high quality coatings to achieve accurate sowing, satisfactory seedling emergence and
stand establishment.
 Now the technology is widely used in vegetable, flower and field crops seeds.

5. Pelleting materials
Adhesive materials:
• Gum arabic (45% W/V)
• Methyl cellulose (3% W/V)
• Nitric coat (4.3% W/ V)
• Gelatin (5% W/V)
• Plastic rexins,
• Dextran
• Rice, maida and starch gruel
Filler materials :
• Lime
• Gypsum
• Dolomite & vermiculite
• Rock phosphate
• Clay minerals
• Dried blood
• Poultry manure, moss etc

6. Seed pelleting process
Adhesive Seed
Coating of seed with adhesive
Filler material
Filler material sprinkled on coated seeds
Pelleted seeds
Shade drying
sowing

7. Machine used for pelleting
Rotary coater Coating pan
(Halmer 2008)
A more recent innovation is the use of rotary coaters for pelleting, in which materials are added directly into the
spinning toroidal (doughnut-shaped) seed mass, resulting in a much more rapid build-up of the coated seed. Though
automated for some species, pelleting other species is a skilled manual process.

8.  Uniform size and shape.
 Accurately singulation is achieved and helpful in precision farming.
 Easier to handle in case of small seeded crops, such as lettuce, carrots.
 Supply of growth regulation nutrients
 Stimulation of germination
 Saving of chemicals/fertilizers applied to soil
 Supply of oxygen
 Reduce seed rate and increase yield
 Colored to make it easier to check seed depth and spacing after planting.
Advantages of seed pelleting

9. Disadvantages of seed pelleting
 Cost and weight is more than bare seed
 Blank pellet and doublets or triplets can occur
 Delayed field emergence at low moisture level
 Very difficult to access the purity of pelleted seeds.
 Trained persons are required.
Note: Testing has to be done after removing the pelleted materials

10. Scope of seed pelleting
Statistics:
• Seed coating materials market is estimated to be valued at USD 1.8 billion in 2019.
• Market is projected to reach USD 3 Billion by 2025 at a CAGR of 8.5% from 2019.
International companies:
• BASF SE (Germany)
• Bayer (Germany)
• Clariant AG (Switzerland)
• Croda International PLC (UK)
• Sensient Technologies (US)
• BrettYoung Seeds Limited (Canada)
• Germain Seed Technology, Inc (US)

11. • Incotec
• Littles Oriental Balm and
Pharmaceuticals Ltd
• Centor India
• Mahendra Overseas
• Sampatti Industries Suboneyo
Chemicals Major players
• Nuziveedu seeds
• Ankur seeds
• Syngenta
• Monsanto
• Du Pont pioneer
• Mahyco etc
 Import scenario in India seed coating market
Major manufacturers like Incotec and Centor India are importing raw materials from Netherlands, USA and
Germany and manufacturing the final product in India.
National companies

12. Public sector
• IIVR Varanasi
• IIHR Bangalore
• TNAU Coimbatore
• PAU Ludhiana
• CSKHPKV Palampur
Seed pelleting practiced: Lettuce, Carrot, Onion, Tomato, Capsicum, Celery,
Chicory, Endive, Leek etc

13. Indian Seed market
• There are about 850 seed companies operating in India in 2014.
• In 2018 the total Indian traded seed market is Rs. 20,000 crore.
• Indian seed Industry is currently occupying the 5th position.
• Few mile stone events in seed policy by Govt. of India are below.
1. The Seeds Act, 1963
2. National Seeds Project
3. New Seeds Policy, 1988
4. PPV & FRA, 2001
5. The Seeds Bill, 2004
• There are more than 200 private seed companies.
• In the public sector, there are 15 state seed corporations, 22 state seed certification agenesis and
104 state seed testing laboratory in addition to the National Seed Corporation of India (1963).
Source: CAFT 2017-18

14. Differences among seed industry and academia in terms of species evaluated, seed pelleting ingredients employed and
outcomes or claims effects of the pelleting treatment.
Species
Academia Academia
Academia
Industry
Industry
Industry
Ingredients
Claims/Outcomes

15. Improvement over the few recent years includes:
• Increased oxygen penetration
• Weight delineation
• Pellet loading
• Better field visibility
• Mechanized cultivation of pelleted seed
Sooter & Miller; Jill et al

16. Case studies 1: Standardization of protocol for seed pelleting in onion
(Allium cepa) to improve seed handling
• Cultivar: Arka Kalyan
• Adhesive materials used: Vermicompost, cow dung and clay (3:2:1) and methyl
cellulose (1.5%) and polyvinyl alcohol (2.0%)
• Micronutrients such as zinc sulphate 5% and boric acid 1%
• The seeds were soaked Actinomycetes + Bacillus aryabhattai at 106 cfu/ml for 5
minutes before pelleting.
• Consortium II - The seeds were coated with a slurry containing Bacillus subtilis +
Trichoderma harizianum consortium mixed with vermicompost powder and then
surface dried.
(Yogeesha et al 2017)

17. Standardization of protocol for seed pelleting in onion (Allium cepa) to
improve seed handling
Non pelleted onion seed Pelleted onion seed
(Yogeesha et al 2017)

18. Seed quality of pelleted onion seeds
1.667 65.7 87 12.83 1117
1.633 63.7 84.7 12.6 1066
1.588 62.7 87 11.57 1007
1.698 62 76 12.97 985
0.376 82.7 89 13.13 1169
Vigour
index
Pelleted only
Pelleted with Zn and B
Pelleted with Zn, B and Microbial consortium I
Pelleted with Zn, B and Microbial consortium II
Seedling
length
(cm)
Control (non- pelleted)
Treatment
100 seed
wt.
(g)
First
count
(%)
Germn.
(%)
Estimated yield
(tonnes/ha)
Treatment
Crop stand /plot
(no. of plants)
Plants with
bulbs (%)
Bulb wt.
(g)
Yield/plot
(kg)
30.49
Pelleted only 131 95.4 58.25 7.63 31.81
Pelleted with Zn and B 120 94.4 61.77 7.32
30.49
Pelleted with Zn, B and Microbial consortium I 138 94.5 56.52 7.8 32.5
Pelleted with Zn, B and Microbial consortium II 122 96.1 59.94 7.32
20.83
Control (non- pelleted) 122 91.6 55.47 6.68 27.85
Transplanted 118 93.3 45.04 5.1
Field performance of pelleted onion seeds
(Yogeesha et al 2017)

19. Quality of pelleted onion seeds packed in moisture proof containers after 11
months of storage under ambient condition
Pelleted with Zn, B and Microbial consortium II 29.5 65 11.7 760
Control (non- pelleted) 86.5 89.5 13.6 1220
Pelleted with Zn and B 67.5 82 13.5 1105
Pelleted with Zn, B and Microbial consortium I 63 74.5 12.5 934
Treatment
First
count
(%)
Germn.
(%)
Seedling
length
(cm)
Vigour
index
Pelleted only 83.5 90 12.5 1130
• Pelleted seeds with bio-fertilizers failed to improve the germination.
• Field performance of pelleted onion seeds was found to be better than non-pelleted seeds with better bulb
size and bulb yield
• Dried pelleted seeds packed in moisture proof containers could be stored up to 11 months.
• The cost of pelleting one kg of seed worked out to be Rs. 150.
Results:
(Yogeesha et al 2017)

20. Case study 2: Performance of bare and pelleted lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) seeds
exposed to phenolic foam
Treatment FC (% G (%) ESI
KOH 85 85 8
Ca(OH)2 81 87.5 3
NaOH 65 68.5 5
CaCO3 90 92.5 9
H2O 25 27.5 2
KOH 90 90 8
Ca(OH)2 90 95 7
NaOH 90 90 7
CaCO3 95 95 9
H2O 90 90 9
Bare seeds
Pelleted seeds
Silva et al 2015
Treatments: (1) Distilled water
(2) NaOH 0.01 M solution
(3) CaCO3 0.01 M solution
(4) Ca(OH)2 0.01 M solution
(5) KOH 0.01 M solution.
Note:
• Cultivar: Taina
• Immersion of phenolic foam for 24 hours
• Before and after the treatments, both for the
first and second experiments the phenolic
foam was washed with distilled water three
times with splash water for five min.
• The irrigation was carried out with the
nutrient solution concentration of 50% of
the formulation Evalution of first count (FC), germination (G) and emergence
speed index (ESI) in lettuce seeds.

21. • Evaluation of fresh weight seedling (FWSPF) and of shoot (FWS), dry weight of shoot (DWS),
plant heigh (PH) and number of leaves (NL) in lettuce seedlings.
Treatment
FWSPF
(g)
FWS (g) DWS (g) PH (cm) NL
KOH 8.68 1.57 0.0961 9.77 6
Ca(OH)2 6.55 0.27 0.0169 5.15 5
NaOH 7.37 0.58 0.0366 7 6
CaCO3 8.62 1.5 0.0862 10.35 6
H2O 5.93 0.05 0.0069 1.22 3.5
KOH 8.6 1.54 0.0948 9.37 6
Ca(OH)2 6.99 0.97 0.056 6.42 5.25
NaOH 8.08 1.41 0.0874 8.15 5.75
CaCO3 8.3 1.52 0.0928 9.77 6.25
H2O 8.15 1.39 0.0881 9.72 6
Bare seeds
Pelleted seeds
Silva et al 2015

22. Case study 3: Effect of Seed Pelleting with Micronutrients and Pesticides on Seed
Yield of Radish cv. Pusa chetki (Raphanus sativus L.)
Seed pelleting with micronutrients
(M):
• M1 - ZnSO4 @ 3 g / kg of seed
• M2 - FeSO4 @ 2 g / kg of seed
• M3 - Borax @ 2 g / kg of seed
• M4 - M1 + M3
Seed pelleting with pesticides (P):
• P1 - Control
• P2 -Imidachloprid @ 2.5 ml/kg of
seed
• P3 - Vitavaxpower @ 2 g/kg of seed
Treatments
o Filler material (Talc powder @ 250 g/kg seed)
o Maida (Starch gruel @ 10 %) as a binding material
Ashok et al 2016

23. Effect of seed pelleting with micronutrients and pesticides on the number of pods per plant and
seed yield/ha (q) of radish cv. Pusa chetki
P1 P2 P3 P1 P2 P3
324.27 348.66 330.4 334.44 10.46 12.78 11.94 11.73
295.86 308.46 299.12 301.15 7.5 10.09 9.35 8.98
313.41 323.29 319.45 318.72 9.35 11.94 11.48 10.93
308.57 315.87 312.62 312.35 8.43 10.37 9.35 9.38
310.53 324.07 315.4 8.94 11.3 10.53
M1
M2
M3
M4
Mean
Treatment
Number of pods/plant
Pesticides (P)
Mean
Seed yield/ha (q)
Pesticides (P)
Mean
Micronutrient (M)
Ashok et al 2016

24. Case study 4: Influence of seed pelleting on crop growth, seed yield and quality of
paprika chilli (Capsicum annuum L.)
• Cultivar: Kt - PI-19
• Treatments:
 C0: Control
 C1: Zinc sulphate (300 mg/kg)
 C2: Captan (2.5 g/ kg)
 C3: Imidacloprid (2.5 g/kg)
 C4: Zinc sulphate + Captan
 C5: Zinc sulphate (ZnS04 ) + Imidacloprid
 C6: Captan + Imidacloprid
 C7: Zinc sulphate + Captan + Imidacloprid
• 3 Replications
Manjunath et al 2009

25. Influence of seed pelleting on growth parameters and yield components of paprika
chilli (Capsicum annuum L.)
C0
C1
C2
C3
C4
C5
C6
C7
Treatments Plant height No. of branches
Days to 50%
flowering
Number of
seeds/fruit
5.01
1000 Seed weight
(g)
61.45 17.44 45 156.77 455 4.5
Seed yield/ha (kg)
64.78 18.78 42.67 161.9 499
4.72
63.92 18.57 43.67 160.1 481 4.9
63.57 17.6 44 158.27 457
5.45
67.85 22.7 40.67 169.77 515 5.7
66.39 19.7 41.67 166.54 506
5.96
65.66 19.4 42.34 162.7 501 5.32
67.93 24.04 40.34 171.34 546
Manjunath et al 2009

26. Influence of seed pelleting on seed quality parameters of paprika chilli (Capsicum
annuum L.)
C0
C1
C2
C3
C4
C5
C6
C7
90 1537 43.04 17.12
Treatments Germination (%) Vigour index
Seedling dry weight
(mg/10 seedlings)
Speed of
germination
92.25 1648 43.31 17.32
91.75 1611 43.28 17.26
91 1567 43.13 17.15
93.75 1730 43.13 17.6
94 1737 43.94 17.63
93 1706 43.49 17.57
92.5 1672 43.43 17.43
Manjunath et al 2009

27. Case study 5: Production of tomato seedlings using seeds pelleted with Natrum
muriaticum and submitted to saline stress
• Cultivar - SANTA CLARA I 5300s
• Treatments:
 T1- Pelleted seeds/talc + Nat-m 3cH
 T2- Pelleted seeds/talc + Nat-m 5cH
 T3- Pelleted seeds/talc + Nat-m 7cH
 T4- Pelleted seeds/talc + Nat-m 9cH
 T5- Pelleted seeds/talc + Nat-m 11cH
 T6- Pelleted seeds/talc + Nat-m 13cH
 T7- Pelleted seeds/talc + distilled water (control 1)
 T8- Non-pelleted seeds (control 2)
• Placed in phenolic foam blocks previously moistened with 50 mM of NaCl saline solution and
nutrient solution
Where,
Nat-m: Natrum muriaticum
Composition of the talc was Mg3Si4O10(OH)2
Bonfim et al 2019

28. Mean values of germination speed index (GSI), germination percentage (GP), leaf area (cm2, LA) and number of leaves (NL)
shoot length (mm, SL), shoot dry matter (g, SDM) of tomato seedlings from seeds pelleted or not with Natrum muriaticum
submitted to saline stress.
GSI GP LA NL SL SDM
1.25 25 3.33 0.62 16.62 0.0156
5.75 70 5.22 2.12 42.22 0.1198
4.81 62.5 4.84 1.5 39.97 0.0972
4.56 62.5 4.49 1.32 37.48 0.0846
4.437 57.5 3.97 1.2 35.06 0.083
3.5 50 3.73 0.95 28.24 0.0617
0.54 22.5 2.1 0.47 11.43 0.02699
0.53 20 3.17 0.45 11.17 0.0229
T6
T7
T8
Treatments
T1
T2
T3
T4
T5
Bonfim et al 2019

29. Constraints
Cost and weight is more than bare seeds.
Particle size distribution for fillers and water holding capacity of the binder will change
water imbibition behaviour in a way that could impact germination (Kavak and Eser
2009).
Require more moisture for germination.
Pellets dissolved in water, characterized by low water resistance, show negative affect.
Pelleting compounds that are non-ionic and moderately lipophilic in nature are able to
diffuse through vegetable seeds with selective permeability.
Time consuming.
Discontinuity of the perisperm– endosperm envelope at the micropylar region of the seed
allow diffusion (Salanenka et al 2009).
Temperature sensitive polymers can delay imbibition leads to soaking injury.
Dependant on operater.

30. Conclusion
 Seed treatments increase precision and effectiveness of crop protection as
well as in production.
The developed prototype can be evaluated for different small seeds of
vegetables like turnip, cabbage, cauliflower etc.
Pellet’s cracking force and water resistance are the basic parameters of
pellet quality.
The swelling ability of pellets is determined by their organic or monaural
composition
Large database on storage of pelleted seed has to be generated.
 Development of pelleting technology is of no use, if a proper sowing
technology is not developed.
 Conducting farm trials with pelleted seeds of local interest will come in
handy in transferring this proven technology to the field.