Argentinian researchers develop a biopolymer to protect seeds

By Estudio Chaloupka

A team of researchers from the National University of Córdoba and the Institute of Physiology and Plant Genetic Resources of Argentina’s National Agricultural Technology Institute (INTA) developed a biopolymer to protect the damage of peanut seeds.

Biopolymers are natural polymers produced by the cells of living organisms that consist of monomeric units that are covalently bonded to form larger molecules.They often work as an efficient coating agent for seeds. Mechanical damage of seeds due to harvest, handling and other process is an important factor that affects the quality and quantity of seeds. Seed damage result in lower grain value, storability problem, and reduced seed germination and seedling vigor and subsequent yield of crops. 

"It is a natural and biodegradable biopolymer that, applied to seeds, forms a thin film that protects them and increases their fluidity and resistance," said Mariana Melchiorre, an INTA specialist and one of the researchers who participated in the investigation. “This is a product that can be used both in agriculture and in agroecological productions,” she added.

INTA, an Argentine agency in charge of the generation, adaptation and diffusion of technologies for the agriculture, agreed to work with private company SME Ceres Demeter to produce, promote and commercialize the invention.