Seed Coating: Science or Marketing Spin?

Simone Pedrini, David J. Merritt, Jason Stevens, Kingsley Dixon

    Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

    208 Citations (Scopus)
    2952 Downloads (Pure)

    Abstract

    Seed coating is the practice of covering seeds with external materials to improve handling, protection, and, to a lesser extent, germination enhancement and plant establishment. With an annual value exceeding US$1 billion dollars, this technology is mostly the preserve of the private research sector, with few links to the scientific community. Here, we analyse the science and industry of seed coating and its contribution to seed establishment and plant performance. We posit that a closer collaboration between academia and industry is critical to realising the potential of seed coating both as a tool for enhancing plant establishment in the face of the challenges posed to agricultural systems and to propel the multibillion-dollar global push for ecological restoration of degraded ecosystems.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)106-116
    Number of pages11
    JournalTrends in Plant Science
    Volume22
    Issue number2
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1 Feb 2017

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