This document describes a novel herbal hydrogel coated seed technology (HHCST) that can help improve agricultural sustainability, resilience to climate variability, water conservation, and farmer-friendly weed control. The technology involves coating seeds with a herbal hydrogel made from inexpensive and locally available natural polymers like gum katira. This allows for efficient delivery of hydrogel to the root zone, improving germination and seedling growth while reducing moisture stress. Field demonstrations show the technology can save up to half of irrigation water and cultivation costs in crops like rice and wheat by facilitating delayed irrigation and alternate wetting/drying cycles. By reducing water usage, inputs and weeds, the low-cost HHCST has potential to make agriculture

1. NOVEL
HERBAL HYDROGEL
COATING SEED
TECH. IN CROPS
FOR :-
-AGRI. SUSTAINABILITY
-RESILIENCE TO CLIMATE VARIABILTY
-WATER CONSERVATION
-FARMER FRIENDLY WEEDS CONTROL
Dr VIRENDER SINGH LATHER
ICAR-IARI,REGIONAL STATION
KARNAL-132001, Haryana

2. HYDROGELS / Super Absorbent Polymers ?
 Hydrophilic Polymers:WHC many times(g/g)
(minimum H2o absorption : 30 times)
SOURCES OF HYDROGEL
 Natural:Plant raisin Herbal Gum Katira etc.
Organic: XANTHAN GUM produced by bacteria
 Semi synthetic Polymers: Pusa Hydrogel etc.
 Majority Synthetic polymers: PAM/Poly vinyl-alcohol
 Regularly used: emulsifier-additive in food-medicine
 Multi-billion dollar Food- Pharma industry since ages
In INDIA , Introduced for Agri uses in 1980’s
BUT, NOT ADOPTED BY FARMERS IN AGRI.CROPS

3. HYDROGEL : PROVE AS MIRACLE TECH. FOR AGRI.
BENEFITS OF HYDROGELS IN AGRI: GLOBALLY DOCMENTED
• DELAY THE WILTING OF PLANT UNDER MOISTURE STRESS REGIME
• Increase water use efficiency, permeability- WHC of soils,
• Reduce irrigation frequency by control erosion-runoff.
• Help plant to perform better under moisture stress environments
 ICAR-MOA ALSO DOCUMENTED BENEFITS OF HYDROGELS :
• 10-30 % Yield increased of crops (Potato, wheat etc)
• Saving irrigation Water
• HIGHLY USEFUL Economically with high Profits & B:C ratio: 7:1
Crop / Hydrogel (Kg/ha) (%)Yield increase Irrigation Saved benefit (Rs/ha) * B:C Ratio*
Groundnut: 2.5 kg 12.68 4-5 4,000 1.7:1
Potato(autumn):5 Kg 21.04 4 33,328 6.5:1
Wheat: 2.5 kg 18.23 1-2 4,198 1.8:1
Sugarcane:2.5 kg 13.08 - 8,300 3.5:1
Mustard:2.5 kg 14.3 Rainfed 2,880 1.3:1
(ICAR-DAC Interface Group Meet dt. 30.8.2013) * Pusa Hydrgel @ Rs 1000 / kg price
MAJOR BENEFITS CLAIMED: BUT, FARMERS HAS NOT ADOPTED HYDROGELS

4. 
WHY FARMERS THINK HYDROGEL : HOAX TECH ?
HOAX TECH : @ PRESENT RECOMMENDATIONS
HOAX DOSES - 2.5 kg/ha : 2ppm (inert material)
- 2 g HYDROGEL / t. SOILS MASS
- 350 ml WHC / t SOILS @180 g/g
 MAGICIAN JOB : MAKING ONE TONNE SOIL MOIST FOR 20 DAYS
BY A GLASS OF WATER
 HOAX METHODS : HYDROGEL MIXING in SOILS @ 2g/t. soils
 HOAX-PROHIBITIVE PRICE : Rs 2000/kg
SELF CONTRADICTORY DOSES / BENEFITS CLAIMS
 ICAR-IARI DOSES : 20,000 kg/ha (Narjary 2012) - 2.5 kg/ha Now
 BENEFITS CLAIMED , NOT RELIASED EVEN IN ICAR INSTITUTES
(Meena et al. 2015)

5. GUM KATIRA GUM KARAYA PUSA HYDROGEL
DRY SAP /GUM Astragalus-
Tragacanth sp.
Sterculia Sp. Semi-synthetic Polymer
patented by ICAR -IARI
EU food code E-413 E-416 Can’t use as food item
Local Name /
Patent name
GOND KATIRA,
Tragacanth gum
Sterculia,Bassora
Kullo, Kadaya,
PUSA HYDROGEL
Cost in India Rs 250 /kg ~Rs 100/ kg Rs 2000/ kg
WHC (g/g H20) ~100 times ~80 times Confusing claim (150 - 500 times)
Locally Available India & World India & World Available through MNC
MONOPOLY PRICE- SUPPLY
TO MAKE HYDROGEL USEFUL FOR AGRI USES :
HERBAL HYDROGEL COATED SEED TECH.
(Lather (2015) International . J Tropical Agri.: 33; 1167)
1) IDENTIFICATION OF COST EFFECTIVE HERBAL HYDROGEL
.
TO REDUCED COST : ORGANIC XANTHAN GUM @ Rs 50 /kg

6. 2) DEVELOPMENT OF HYDROGEL COATED SEED TECH
- for efficient delivery of Hydrogel to root zones
Ingredients/ha :
30 kg Rice Seed for DSR
3 kg gum powder Katira gum
200 kg gum Acacia & 200g Jiggery
PROTOCOL
1) Prepare adhesive solution by putting acacia gum+
jiggery in one liter of boiling water for ~20 minutes.
2) Make Rice seed sticky by pouring adhesive solution
after cooling and mixed it well with hand.
3) Mix Hydrogel powder of Katira @ ~10% of seed wt. mixed it with
by hand/rotating drum to sticky seeds
4) Dry the hydrogel coated seed in shade for
6 hr before use
 Dry powders of fungicides/insecticides/bio-fertilizer/ micro-
nutrient etc. may also added to the powder of gum Katira

7. SOWING: HERBAL HYDROGEL COATED SEED
 Prepare field with lazer leveler fb irrigation
 Sowing in Second week June with seed rate of 30 kg seed
/ha by seed drill on wet bed fb immediate application of
2.5 liter/ha Pendimethalin in 500 liter H2O
 Delayed first irrigation by 15-21 DAS on the basis of soils
types (Light-loam-Clay)
 Apply AWD (Alternate wetting- drying) irrigation cycle of 15
days interval (TWO WEEK ) based on rains and soil types.
 If got rain before seed germi., then apply light irrigation to
break the soils crust.
 If got rain after 7-14 DAS, then apply Nomieegold+Saathi
for weed control (Bispyribac Sodium 10% SC+ Pyrazosulfuron
Ethyl 10% WP)

8. BENEFITS : HERBAL HYDROGEL COATED SEED
• Eco-Farmers friendly as ingredient are herbal, cost
effective, locally available globally & ITS SIMPLE OPERATIONS
• Efficient hydrogel delivery system with slow depletion –
evaporation of soil moisture around root zone.
• Better germination & root-shoot & Initial seedling growth
• Delay, seedling wilting in moisture stress regime(2-3 weeks)
• Facilitate delaying of first irrigation by 2 weeks in summer &
4 weeks for winter crops which help in suppression of
weeds germination & growth & saving of irrigation water.
• Facilitate AWD(Alternate wetting-drying) irrigation cycle for
less incidences of weed, pests-diseases & better N use efficiency

9. Success Story
PROVE AS GAME CHANGER TECH in RICE-DSR
DSR-HHCS: - NO SEED YIELD PENALTY
• SAVING : WATER- CULTIVATION COST
• ECO-FRIENDLY: USING HERBAL ITEM
• ENV-FRIENDLY: NO RELEASE OF GHG
BETTER ‘N’ USE EFFICIENCY
• BETTER LUSTER & QUALITY OF SEED
• COST EFFECTIVE WEED CONTROL :-
Delayed first irrigation fb Alternate wetting-drying
(AWD) of 2 weeks cycle on the basis of rains frequency
• Less weeds, disease-pest incidences.
DSR – TRADITIONAL
• Heavy weeds infestation: weekly irrig.
• No water saving (~25 irrigation) if rains fail.
• Not adopted by Farmers despite cash
incentives of Rs 8500 / ha by Govt.

10. Success Story – DSR
WEED FREE RICE CROP MATURE : 5 IRRIGATIONS
APLICATION : HALF ‘ N’ & CULTIVATION COST

11. SUCCESS STORY : DSR- HHCST
NO SEED YIELD PANELTY : EVEN IN DROUGHT YEAR (2015)
SAVED : HALF IRRIGATION WATER & COST OF CULTIVATION
HALF ‘N’ APPLICATION : SHOW BETTER ‘N’ USE EFFICIENCY
NO WEED- BAKANNAE & LESS OTHER DISEASES–PESTS
Mr Gyan Singh Chawala,Karnal): PB 1509
• Seed yield : 21q/acre(5.4 t/ha)
• Only 4 irrigations against 25 IN TP rice
Mr. Gurcharan Singh, Karnal: PB 1509
• Seed yield: 24q/acre(6 t./ha)
• Only 5 irrigations against 25 TP rice
•

12. WHY SUCCESS STORY IN RICE-DSR ?
 RICE : TAKEN AS PRIORITY-CHALLENGE CROP
IMPORTANT: Global food security & climate change
• WATER GUZZLING CROP: Need 3000 Liter water/
kg Rice production. (Water submerged farming)
• NOT FARMER FRIENDLY BUT HIGH COST-INPUTS
CROP (Rs 40,000/ha) with BC raio : < 2:1 )
• ENVIRONMENTAL HAZZARD-POLLUTING CROP:-
o Rice accelerate global warming & accounts for 11% out
of 12% total global anthropogenic GHG(CH4) emissions
due to water submerged farming
o DEGRADE GROUNDWATER IN QUALITY & QUANTITY.
 HHCST : STRATEGIES FOR MITIGATING CHALLENGES
• ADOPT DSR(Direct Seeding Rice) fb
• Altering water management, such as
• Delayed first irrigation for weed control 15-21 DAS
• Alternate wetting-drying(AWD) of two weeks.

13. HHCS: SUCCESSFUL IN ALL CROPS
• Wheat & Barley (2015-16):
• 150 farmer’s field demonstrations
In Haryana in Collaboration State
admn. in rainfed areas of Gurgaon
& high moisture zone of Karnal
• Weed free crop without post emergence
herbicides & first irrigation at 35-45 DAS
• Saving Half irrigation & Cultivation Cost

14. WHEAT HHCST Farmers Fields Demo., KARNAL
NO WEEDS: PHALARIS MINOR etc.
NO SPRAY : POST EMERGANCE
WEEDICIDES- HERBICIDES
ONLY TWO IRRIGATION : 105 DAYS CROP
WITHOUT HHCST
FULL OF WEEDS (PHALARIS MINOR)
TWO SPRAY: Post emergence herbicide
Four Irrigation till date

15. SUCCESS STORY OF HHCST IN WHEAT
Weed Free Crop without any post emergence
herbicide application & 2-3 irrigations
Variety C-306 Variety HD-3086

16. HHCST PROTOCOLS POSTERS DEVELOPED IN VARIOUS
LANGUAGES FOR THE BENEFITS OF FAMERS & STAKEHOLDERS

17. CONCLUSIONS
GAME CHANGER TECHNOLOGY IN RICE-DSR & other crops
 FOR SAVING HALF IRRIGATION & CULTIVATION COST
• Freedom from puddling -Seedling raising & transplating in rice
farming
• FIRST IRRIGATION 21 DAS fb TWO WEEKS ‘AWD’ IRRIG. CYCLE
• WEEDS FREE CROP BY APPLICATION OF Pendimethalin fb DELAYED
• No bakkanae disease & less incidences of others diseases-pests
• NO SEED YIELD PENALITY : DELAYED & REDUCED IRRIGATION
• HIGHER ‘N’ USE EFFICIENCY
 COST EFFECTIVE; Rs 100-800/ha@ 15 % hydrogel/kg seed @ crop seed rate
 CONTROL OF GLOBAL WARMING : REDUCED RELEASE GHG(CH4)
 HHCS Tech: VALUE ADDITION RCT for Saving: Water, Energy, cultivation cost
 Ensure: Sustainability of Agri. & Resilience to Climate Changes

18. CONCLUSIONS : HHCS TECH.
NOVEL HERBAL HYDROGEL COATED SEED TECH
WHAT IS HHCST ?
DEVELOPMENT & UTILIZATION OF HERBAL HYDROGEL
COATED SEED FOR AGRI. USES.
WHY HHCST ?
FOR SAVING IRRIGATION WATER
FOR COST EFFECTIVE WEED CONTROL
FOR SAVING ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION
FOR MAKING AGRI. SUSTAINABLE
FOR MAKING AGRI. RESILIENCE TO CLIMATE CHANGES
FINALLY : HHCSTech : FOR MORE CROP PER DROP OF WATER

19. THANKS FOR PROMOTING:
HERBAL HYDROGEL COATED SEED TECH
NOVEL GAME CHANGER TECH
IN AGRI. CROPS
FOR SAVING
WATER,
ENERGY,
LABOR,
CULTIVATION COST,
WEEDS CONTROL ,
MAKING AGRI SUSTAINABLE &
RESILIENCE TO CLIMATE CHANGES