Abstract: A seed coating for enhancing the level of selenium in crops and therefore ensuring that sufficient levels of selenium are present in the resulting animal feed or foodstuff is described. The invention provides both a seed coating and method of coating a seed which provides a sufficient amount of selenium to the seed for uptake by the plants to produce selenium sufficient crops. The seed coating and method ensures that the selenium remains adhered to the seed in uniform, consistent amounts and which further imparts abrasion-resistance to the seed in order to reduce the toxicity risk of handling selenium-coated seeds. A suitable polymer material is also selected from the large number of polymers available in the art. A suitable polymer will mix well with the selenium material and will preferable form a dust-free film upon drying.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
May 23, 1997
Date of Patent:
May 9, 2000
Assignees:
Her Majesty the Queen in right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Agriculture, Agra-Food Canada
Inventors:
Shabtai Bittman, Wayne T. Buckley, Kevin Zaychuk, E. A. P. Brown