New technology for encapsulating conditioned seeds to increase aerial seeding efficiency

Abstract

Study refers to the field of forestry, in particular, to technologies that ensure the encapsulation of seeds for aerial sowing during reforestation in areas inaccessible or ineffective for ground mechanization. The existing approaches today have a number of significant disadvantages: increased injury to seeds and the impossibility of subsequent directive sowing; insufficient density of the capsule outer shell for aerial seeding, allowing only surface aerial seeding; high complexity and laboriousness of execution, which does not allow its implementation in the field. Based on a systematic and patent search, the existing technologies for producing capsules, including freezing seeds, have been analyzed. The result is developed and patented sequence of operations, the effectiveness of using which in aerial seeding is confirmed economically. Its advantages are simplicity, increasing the accuracy of aerial seeding by ensuring the aerodynamic stability of the capsules in flight and increasing the protection of seeds in contact with the soil by placing the seeds inside the capsules. However, a number of questions remain for future research: how does the drop height and soil condition affect the strength and proportions of the capsules? How does the physical-chemical composition solution on the strength and proportions of capsules?