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The objective of modern seed-coating technology is to uniformly apply a wide range of active components (ingredients) onto crop seeds at desired dosages so as to facilitate sowing and enhance crop performance. There are three major types of seed treating/coating equipment: dry powder applicator, rotary pan, and pelleting pan with the provisions to apply dry powders, liquids, or a combination of both. Additional terms for coatings produced from these types of equipment include dry coating, seed dressing, film coating, encrustments, and seed pelleting. The seed weight increases for these different coating methods ranges from <0.05% to >5000% (>100,000-fold range). Modern coating technology provides a delivery system for many other materials including biostimulants, nutrients, and plant protectants. This review summarizes seed coating technologies and their potential benefits to enhance seed performance, improve crop establishment, and provide early season pest management for sustainable agricultural systems.

Plant beneficial microbes (PBMs), such as plant growth-promoting bacteria, rhizobia, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, and Trichoderma , can reduce the use of agrochemicals and increase plant yield, nutrition, and tolerance to biotic–abiotic stresses. Yet, large-scale applications of PBM have been hampered by the high amounts of inoculum per plant or per cultivation area needed for successful colonization and consequently the economic feasibility. Seed coating, a process that consists in covering seeds with low amounts of exogenous materials, is gaining attention as an efficient delivery system for PBM. Microbial seed coating comprises the use of a binder, in some cases a filler, mixed with inocula, and can be done using simple mixing equipment (e.g., cement mixer) or more specialized/sophisticated apparatus (e.g., fluidized bed). Binders/fillers can be used to extend microbial survival. The most reported types of seed coating are seed dressing, film coating, and pelleting. Tested in more than 50 plant species with seeds of different dimensions, forms, textures, and germination types (e.g., cereals, vegetables, fruits, pulses, and other legumes), seed coating has been studied using various species of plant growth-promoting bacteria, rhizobia, Trichoderma , and to a lesser extent mycorrhizal fungi. Most of the studies regarding PBM applied via seed coating are aimed at promoting crop growth, yield, and crop protection against pathogens. Studies have shown that coating seeds with PBM can assist crops in improving seedling establishment and germination or achieving high yields and food quality, under reduced chemical fertilization. The right combination of biological control agents applied via seed coating can be a powerful tool against a wide number of diseases and pathogens. Less frequently, studies report seed coating being used for adaptation and protection of crops under abiotic stresses. Notwithstanding the promising results, there are still challenges mainly related with the scaling up from the laboratory to the field and proper formulation, including efficient microbial combinations and coating materials that can result in extended shelf-life of both seeds and coated PBM. These limitations need to be addressed and overcome in order to allow a wider use of seed coating as a cost-effective delivery method for PBM in sustainable agricultural systems.

Hydrogels retain substantial quantities of both water and nutrients within their three dimensional polymeric network. As such they have the ability to modify the local micro-environment of seeds/seedlings to enhance their growth outcomes. In terms of both safety and sustainability, the use of natural biopolymer based hydrogels is more advantageous. The network structure of hydrogels is typically formed by physical interaction and/or chemical crosslinking between polymer chains. The nature, strength and extent of crosslinking can be tailored to customize gel properties (such as mechanical strength, porosity and swelling behaviour) to suit a given type of application. This review highlights the use of hydrogels in agriculture where they (i) provide drought resistance to crops, (ii) act as reservoirs for critical nutrients, (iii) function as seed coating agents and (iv) improve transplantation success rate. The biodegradability and environmental compatibility of hydrogels for a range of applications in the farming sector is also discussed. Finally, the challenges of modifying hydrogels to suit specific agricultural applications are elaborated including issues that need to be overcome to exploit the full potential of these novel soft materials in sustainable farming practices of the future.

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of different coatings on the physiological potential of stylosanthes cv. Campo Grande seeds. The treatments were: uncoated seeds; limestone + PVA glue; limestone + sand + PVA glue; limestone + activated carbon + PVA glue; calcium silicate + PVA glue; calcium silicate + sand + PVA glue; calcium silicate + activated carbon + PVA glue. Posteriorly, the seeds were analyzed for water content (WC), maximum diameter (MAD) and minimum diameter (MID), thousand seed weight (TSW), germination test, germination speed index (GSI), mean germination time (MGT), emergence, emergence speed index (ESI), mean emergence time (MET), shoot and root length, fresh and dry matter of shoot and root. The coating increased the TSW, MAD and MID and decreased its WC. The treatments comprising limestone + PVA glue and limestone + sand + PVA glue increased the germination time, but none of the treatments negatively affected the physiological seed quality. Treatment with calcium silicate + PVA glue was outstanding for germination speed index and fresh and dry matter of shoot and root in the stylosanthes cv. Campo Grande seeds coating.

Our agriculture is threatened by climate change and the depletion of resources and biodiversity. A new agriculture revolution is needed in order to increase the production of crops and ensure the quality and safety of food, in a sustainable way. Nanotechnology can contribute to the sustainability of agriculture. Seed nano-priming is an efficient process that can change seed metabolism and signaling pathways, affecting not only germination and seedling establishment but also the entire plant lifecycle. Studies have shown various benefits of using seed nano-priming, such as improved plant growth and development, increased productivity, and a better nutritional quality of food. Nano-priming modulates biochemical pathways and the balance between reactive oxygen species and plant growth hormones, resulting in the promotion of stress and diseases resistance outcoming in the reduction of pesticides and fertilizers. The present review provides an overview of advances in the field, showing the challenges and possibilities concerning the use of nanotechnology in seed nano-priming, as a contribution to sustainable agricultural practices.

Seed germination and stand establishment are the first steps of crop growth and development. However, low seed vigor, improper seedbed preparation, unfavorable climate, and the occurrence of pests and diseases reduces the germination rate and seedling quality, resulting in insufficient crop populations and undesirable plant growth. Seed coating is an effective method that is being developed and applied in modern agriculture. It has many functions, such as improving seed vigor, promoting seedling growth, and reducing the occurrence of pests and diseases. Yet, during seed coating procedures, several factors, such as difficulty in biodegradation of coating materials and hindrance in the application of chemical ingredients to seeds, force us to explore reliable and efficient coating formulations. Biochar, as a novel material, may be expected to enhance seed germination and seedling establishment, simultaneously ensuring agricultural sustainability, environment, and food safety. Recently, biochar-based seed coating has gained much interest due to biochar possessing high porosity and water holding capacity, as well as wealthy nutrients, and has been proven to be a beneficial agent in seed coating formulations. This review presents an extensive overview on the history, methods, and coating agents of seed coating. Additionally, biochar, as a promising seed coating agent, is also synthesized on its physico-chemical properties. Combining seed coating with biochar, we discussed in detail the agricultural applications of biochar-based seed coating, such as the promotion of seed germination and stand establishment, the improvement of plant growth and nutrition, suitable carriers for microbial inoculants, and increase in herbicide selectivity. Therefore, this paper could be a good source of information on the current advance and future perspectives of biochar-based seed coating for modern agriculture.

Background Late wilt disease, caused by Cephalosporium maydis , is one of the most aggressive fungal diseases threatening maize production in Egypt and Mediterranean region. Biological control and pre-cultivation seed treatments are proposed among the best strategies to control C. maydis under greenhouse and field conditions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Trichoderma bio-control agents as well as several pre-cultivation seed treatments (priming and coating) in controlling late wilt disease and improving maize production. Five isolates of C. maydis were isolated from infected maize plants collected from different Egyptian governorates. In vitro and in vivo experiments were performed to evaluate the efficacy of different treatments in the control of C. maydis . Results Pathogenicity test revealed that isolate (5) of C. maydis , collected from Qalyubia governorate, was the most virulent against the Baladi maize variety. In vitro, five Trichoderma isolates (T1, T2, T4, T6, and T7) were the most antagonistic against C. maydis . Seed germination tests showed that “extra seed power”– a novel seed treatment– applied by either coating or priming, along with priming with either garlic or moringa extracts significantly outperformed other treatments in enhancing maize germination and seedling parameters. In greenhouse, the lowest significant disease incidence percentages for Giza 168 maize cultivar were achieved with T2, ESP coating, ESP priming, T4, moringa leaf extract priming at 1.0%, Premis Ultra 2.5% fungicide and garlic extract priming at 1.0%, respectively. The same treatments recorded the lowest significant disease incidence percentages for the same maize cultivar under field conditions. The previous results were supported by anatomical investigation of maize stem under different treatments. Moreover, significant improvements in plant height and yield parameters such as ear weight and length, and grain yield were achieved with the same treatments under infection conditions. Conclusion Bio-control treatments using T. asperellum (T2) and T. harzianum (T4) along with seed treatments using ESP by coating and priming were the most effective in reducing late wilt disease incidence and enhancing growth and yield parameters of maize under greenhouse and field conditions.

In the present paper, products obtained from a blue-green microalga Spirulina platensis filtrate (applied for seed soaking and for foliar spray) and homogenate (used for seed coating) were tested in the cultivation of radish. Their effect on length, wet mass, multielemental composition and the greenness index of the radish leaves was examined. Multi-elemental analyses of the algal products, and radish were also performed using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The best soaking time, concentrations of filtrate and doses of homogenate were established. The longest and heaviest plants were observed for homogenate applied at a dose of 300 µL per 1.5 g of seeds and 15% of filtrate applied as foliar spray. The highest chlorophyll content was found in the group treated with 100 µL of homogenate and 5% of filtrate. In the case of soaking time, the longest plants were in the group where seeds were soaked for 6 h, but the heaviest and greenest were after soaking for 48 h. The applied algal products increased the content of elements in seedlings. Obtained results proved that algal extracts have high potential to be applied in modern horticulture and agriculture. The use of Spirulina-based products is consistent with the idea of sustainable agriculture that could help to ensure production of sufficient human food to meet the needs of rising population and protection of the environment.

Seed coating plays a crucial role in agriculture technology as a defence mechanism for crop protection and development. Conventional seed coating methods typically involve excessive material usage, high production costs and negatively impact human health and the environment. Orthodox approaches often require the use of bulk and hazardous substances, resulting in the inefficient delivery of active ingredients. Nanotechnology has emerged as a promising alternative with its small size, high surface area, and instantaneous reactivity leading to improved efficiency and reduced material usage. Recent studies have highlighted the use of nanomaterials, specifically nanoparticles and nanofibers which offer significant benefits in boosting the seed mechanical properties, germination and vigor index by enhancing seed water uptake, and nutrient absorption due to their permeability, small size and high surface area. Nanomaterials can provide better seed protection against biotic and abiotic stresses, including pests, diseases, and environmental factors such as drought and salinity. The controlled release of active ingredients from nanomaterials enhances plant development by ensuring the seeds receive the necessary nutrients over an extended period. Nanomaterials impregnated with biochemical agents, such as hormones and enzymes, can enhance the viability of these agents and improve crop growth by enabling a systematic release mechanism. This review provides an overview of the latest developments and understanding of how nanomaterials can be applied for seed coating purposes, including their mechanism of action and potential benefits. It is expected to provide valuable insights for researchers and practitioners in the field of agriculture and contribute to the development of sustainability.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.804104.].