While germinating, seeds must be supplied with sufficient water and protected from herbicides, as undisturbed crop development is key to ensuring stable and high yields. As part of the SeedPlus project, researchers from three Fraunhofer institutes have developed a biodegradable seed coating that features integrated water storage capacity and protection from herbicides to facilitate high germination rates.

Herbicides that are used to control weeds can affect seedlings and disturb the growth of sensitive crops. In addition to this, germinating seeds are particularly vulnerable to a lack of precipitation. The months of March and April were often extremely dry in Germany in recent years, causing seedlings to wither before they were able to establish. Fraunhofer researchers want to counteract this: As part of the SeedPlus project, the Fraunhofer Institute for Microengineering and Microsystems IMM, the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology ICT and the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME have developed a seed coating that is designed to ensure a stable yield, even in adverse environmental conditions. Their approach is low in resource consumption, environmentally friendly and sustainable.