Abstract: A gel-coated seed is provided, which has sufficient strength for handling just after the production thereof and after the recovery following the storage under drying, and has a good property in terms of standing-up of seedling. The gel-coated seed includes: a seed of a plant; a coating gel-layer, which coats the seed, consisting of alginic acid-based aqueous gel gelled in the presence of a multivalent metal ion; and grains consisting of water-containing hydrophilic polymer, which is resistant to the multivalent metal ion, distributed in the coating gel-layer.

Abstract: A gel-coated seed is provided, which has sufficient strength for handling just after the production thereof and after the recovery following the storage under drying, and has a good property in terms of standing-up of seedling. The gel-coated seed includes: a seed of a plant; a coating gel-layer, which coats the seed, consisting of alginic acid-based aqueous gel gelled in the presence of a multivalent metal ion; and grains consisting of water-containing hydrophilic polymer, which is resistant to the multivalent metal ion, distributed in the coating gel-layer.

Abstract: A method of preventing defective germination or rosette formation of a plant seed that tends to suffer from defective germination or rosette formation during growth thereof is provided, which can be easily carried out without using large-scale equipment and makes the sowing after the treatment of the method easy. The method of preventing defective germination or rosette formation of a plant seed includes the steps of: leaving the plant seed to stand in highly watery condition at low temperature in a dark place; and drying the plant seed.

Abstract: A method of preventing defective germination or growth of a plant is provided, by which even plant seeds having small size can be sown easily and securely. The method of preventing defective germination or growth of a plant includes the steps of: encapsulating plant seeds in an aqueous gel capsule; refrigerating the plant seeds under the condition that the plant seeds do not germinate; and sowing the plant seeds.

Abstract: A gel covering seed inspection apparatus 1 of the present invention comprises a feeder 3 in which the gel covering seed 19 is accumulated, a delivery device 4 which successively lets out a predetermined number of the gel covering seed supplied thereto at a constant rate from the feeder, a transport device 5 which conveys the gel covering seed 19 let out by the delivery device in a line, a discrimination device 6 which judges the acceptance or rejection on the midway of conveyance of the gel covering seed 19 by the transport device 5, a defective product reject device 7 which rejects the gel covering seed 19 judged to be a defective product, and an accepted product extractor 9 which takes out the gel covering seed 19 judged to be an accepted product to an accepted product box 10. The discrimination device 6 is provided with a camera 61 and a luminaire 62 which are arranged face to face on both sides of the transport device 5.

Abstract: A device for gel-coating seeds having a structure in which a gelling agent is filled into a nozzle, and seeds are charged into and held in the gelling agent to form gel-coated seeds which are then allowed to fall.

Abstract: A gel coating method comprising making a mold (27), which has both a gelatinizer impermeability or a slight gelatinizer impermeability and a hardening agent permeability, retain a hardening agent (26) thereon beforehand by immersing the mold (27) in the hardening agent (26) and taking out the mold (27) therefrom, placing a gelatinizer (30) and an object to be sealed (9) in the resultant mold (27), allowing the hardening agent (26) to permeate through the mold (27) as a whole by immersing the mold in the hardening agent (26) again, and uniformly hardening the gelatinizer (30), which is around the object to be sealed (9), from the portion thereof which contacts the mold (27), whereby the object to be sealed (9) is rendered easily removable as gel-coated object (9a) from the mold (27).

Abstract: A process for producing an excellent gel-coated seed, a coating gel-layer of which has a uniform thickness and hardness, is provided. The process for producing a gel-coated seed according to the present invention employs a gel-forming solution and a hardener for gelatinizing the gel-forming solution, wherein a seed is dipped into the gel-forming solution after the hardener adheres to the seed.

Abstract: A seed coating apparatus comprises a seed supplying unit, a coating unit, a hardening unit and a washing unit assembled in series. The coating unit is provided with an exchangeable nozzle block having the nozzles and with passages for respectively feeding the nozzles with gelling solution. All the passages are simultaneously blocked-and-resumed by two valves, which slidably cross the passages at upstream and downstream portions thereof. Each nozzle is supplied therein with a seed through a cylinder disposed at the center thereof and with gelling solution from the passage flowing toward the cylinder through discharge ports in opposite to each other. Holes of the nozzles for dropping the gel-coated seeds to the hardening unit are closed by a shutter after the gel-coated seeds are dropped therefrom.

Abstract: A seed 9 is held in an aqueous gel 7 so as to constitute a seed covered with gel S. Seed covered with gel S is dried after seed 9 germinates. Otherwise, a through hole 12a is pierced vertically within a gel culture medium 12, a seed 13 is inserted into trough hole 12a, and gel culture medium 12 including seed 13 is dried after seed 13 germinates.

Abstract: An apparatus for encapsulating seed by gel of the present invention, wherein seed are drawn from a hopper of a seed supply portion into a stocker, are absorbed by an absorption head from a stocker, and are conveyed by move of the absorption head. The stocker comprising a vibrator and a vibratory plate, wherein one side of the vibratory plate forms a recess for storing the seed thereon, and the other side of the vibratory plate is connected with the vibrator, so that the seed on the vibratory plate are suspended by vibration of the vibrator. Thrust pins exsertably inserted into end nozzles of the absorption head and connected with an actuator, so that the thrust pins project at the period of casting the seed from the end nozzles.

Abstract: An apparatus for encapsulating seed by gel comprising a seed supplying portion and a processing portion, wherein seed has fallen from a hopper of a seed supplying portion are carried to a plurality of processing nozzles of a processing portion, for encapsulating seed by gelling. A supplying portion comprising the hopper filled with seed, a carrying device disposed below the hopper for arranging seed in correspondence with the number of processing nozzle of the processing portion, and switching devices disposed respectively at the end portions of seed carriage lanes formed by the carrying device so many as the processing nozzles. The carrying device comprising a box-shaped trough, partitions disposed at the upstream portion of the trough for restriction of the height of the flowing of seed, partitions for dividing the flowing of seed into streams so many as the processing nozzles, and a vibrator disposed below the trough.