• Pelleting is a seed technology process that increases the size of small seeds by encapsulating them to produce bigger, rounder, smoother, and more uniformly sized seeds, increasing overall ‘plantability’.
• This process results in more marketable vegetables that meet the standards of consumers and industry guidelines and reduces the time, labor and cost of cultivation.

In agriculture today, processes have been developed to make farming more effective and efficient with available resources. One seed technology process that has been instrumental in the organic and conventional growing of vegetables is pelleting.

Many vegetable seeds are small, light, and irregular in shape, which leads to planting inconsistencies that can cause vegetables to have irregular characteristics and agronomic deficiencies. Pelleting is a highly useful technique for increasing the size of small seeds, and encapsulating them to produce bigger, rounder, smoother, and more uniformly-sized seeds. This net uniformity drastically increases overall ‘plantability’ of the seeds. Pelleting not only reduces the time, labor, and cost of cultivation, it also helps to create a higher percentage of marketable vegetables that meet the standards of consumers and industry guidelines.

Pelleting is a coating technique that is used in the farming industry for increasing precision planting. This seed technology process and its end product create the opportunity for effective precision sowing by eliminating double and/or missed seed plantings in direct seeded crops.

Pellets can also be used as a carrier for conventional seed treatments (fungicides, pesticides, plant growth regulators) and treatments approved for use in organic production, such as biologicals and approved chemical treatments.  These products are applied in precise amounts to promote a vigorous healthy seedling.

At Seminis®, we pelletize onions, tomatoes, lettuce, and carrots for use in  conventional production, and in certain circumstances for use in organic production as well. The pelleted seeds go through a series of quality control checks to ensure that our products meet legal and market standards for the quality of the seed itself as well as the pellet. All of these steps are taken to ensure that pelleting, as well as any other seed treatment applications, do not harm the seed.