I-Corps: Translation Potential of Crop Seed Shaped Pellets for Planting Multi-Species with Standard Planting Equipment

About This Grant

This I-Corps project focuses on the development of multiple-seed pellets that can be used to plant a wide range of plant species. The plants include many species that attract and foster beneficial insects including pollinators (bees), predators of insect pests (ladybugs), and threatened species (monarch butterflies). There are currently not enough beneficial plants in and around crop fields to support full pollination and suppression of insect pest outbreaks. Some key plants like milkweed have become so scarce that insects that depend on them are now threatened and require restrictions on key pest management practices. Restoring these plants benefits individual farmers and society by keeping the food and fiber supply secure and available at a reasonable price. Many of the most beneficial plants grow vigorously and are perennial so that once planted these beneficial plants can persist for several years. The challenge is that the seeds of the plants span a wide range of sizes and shapes. Several surveys have confirmed that farmers are aware of the benefits of establishing these beneficial plants, but the lack of an affordable, effective planting method is too great of a barrier to overcome. Multi-seed pellets that are the same size, shape, and weight as standard crop seeds (e.g., corn, soy, cotton) will be commercialized. These can be easily planted using the standard crop planting equipment that farmers already own, to establish a custom set of beneficial plants rapidly and reliably. This I-Corps project utilizes experiential learning coupled with a first-hand investigation of the industry ecosystem to assess the translation potential of the technology. This solution is based on the development of technology that allows the planting of almost any plant seed, regardless of size, shape, and weight, with commonly available, large-scale planting equipment that is designed to plant only seeds that fall within a very narrow range of physical characteristics. These multi-seed pellets integrate discoveries involving seed preparation, pelleting materials, and high-volume pellet production. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recognizes the importance of incorporating diversity through the targeted reintroduction of plant species beyond the relatively small number that are grown as crops. What is new is a planting technology that outperforms the most common current methods of hand broadcast or specialized seed drills (not commonly available). Surveys indicate that most farmers would establish conservation habitats if they could be planted with equipment they already use, even without compensation. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.