ICAR’s Smart Seed Coating Technology Boosts Crop Yields by Up to 30%

New Delhi: Scientists at the ICAR–Indian Institute of Oilseeds Research (ICAR-IIOR), Hyderabad, have developed an innovative biopolymer-based Smart Seed Coating Technology that has shown the potential to significantly improve crop productivity, with field demonstrations recording yield increases of up to 30 per cent.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, trials conducted in Telangana revealed that groundnut and soybean farmers achieved nearly 30 per cent higher yields compared to conventional farming practices.

The patented technology uses biodegradable biopolymers to create a protective coating around seeds. This coating serves as a delivery system for beneficial microbes, nutrients, micronutrients, crop protection agents and plant growth-promoting substances, ensuring they are available directly at the seed-soil interface during the crucial early stages of plant growth.

Researchers say the coating creates a favourable microenvironment that encourages faster germination, stronger seedling development, healthier root systems and greater resistance to environmental stresses. As a result, crops establish themselves more effectively and are better equipped to withstand adverse conditions.

The innovation comes at a time when agriculture is facing mounting challenges from climate change, erratic rainfall patterns, droughts, extreme temperatures, soil degradation and increasing pest and disease pressures. Strengthening seed performance during the initial growth phase is considered one of the most economical and scalable ways to improve farm productivity.

Field evaluations under real farming conditions have shown notable gains in crop establishment, plant vigour and overall output. Multi-location trials conducted under the All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) on Seed across crops such as soybean, maize, groundnut, chickpea, cotton, mustard and pigeon pea recorded yield improvements ranging from 12 to 37 per cent compared to untreated seeds.

Experts believe the technology could be especially beneficial for India's rainfed farming sector, which covers a large portion of the country's agricultural land and remains highly vulnerable to weather uncertainties.

The Smart Seed Coating Technology can be tailored for a wide range of crops, including cereals, millets, pulses, oilseeds, fibre and fodder crops, vegetables, spices and horticultural crops.

ICAR-IIOR scientists noted that future agricultural growth will increasingly rely on technologies that maximise the efficiency of farm inputs while improving resilience and productivity. The institute is also working with public and private seed networks to support large-scale adoption of the technology across the country.

With inputs from IANS

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