Seed Pelleting Technology to Tef [Eragrostis tef (Zucc.)] Improvements and Its Importance for Agronomic Practice: A Review

Abstract

Tef in Ethiopia, among the cultivated food crops grown it ranks first, with an estimated production area of 3,023,283.5 ha and a mean productivity of 1.75 t ha^-1.  However, despite its importance in Ethiopia, tef yields are low. In the production year 2017-2018, yields were 1.7 t ha^-1 significantly lower than other cereals, such as: maize (3.95 t ha^-1), sorghum and wheat (both 2.72 t ha^-1). A knowledge on the use of pelleted seeds in improving the productivity of the tef crop by seed sowing with a minimum time wastage, reduce labor costs, for the use of  planting machine to boost the yield of the crop in the country particularly tef grower farmers, investors and other stake holders. From this, to review seed pelleting technology and its importance for agronomic practices and to generate information on seed pelleting for future research direction. The small size of tef seed possess problems during sowing, and indirectly during weeding and threshing. Seed pelleting is the process of enclosing a seed inside a small quantity of inert material just large enough to produce a globular unit of standard size to facilitate planting. Small and irregularly shaped seed can now be treated as larger and round-shaped. Many crop seeds are small and irregular in shape which does not permit the accurate metering by mechanical planting equipments. Pelleting improves the chances of successful germination and seedling establishment under field condition. The pelleting technique increases and homogenizes seed size, but it is essential to determine the physical and physiological characteristics of pelleted seeds. Pellet improvements over the last 10 years include increased O₂ penetration/availability, wider pellet density range, pellet loading, better field visibility.  Because of the large increase in volume obtained when seeds are pelleted, pellets have been shown to be effective carriers of plant Protects. Generally application seed pelleting technology for small seed size crops particularly, tef it important for proper planting and maintain planting density of the crop. To this end, research for scientific evident is needed to this technology in the future.

Keywords: pelleting technology, Seed pelleting, enclosing a seed

DOI: 10.7176/JNSR/11-24-01

Publication date: December 31^st 2020