Abstract: Seed is treated with a treatment agent within a rotary drum having rows of circumferentially spaced stirring plates mounted therein. When the drum is rotated about a substantially horizontal axis the plates raise seed from the bottom of the drum. At their uppermost positions the plates are inclined so that seed falls from the plates into a vertical passage defined between adjacent rows of plates. Treatment agent is introduced inside the drum such that the agent is applied to the seed traveling downwardly along the vertical passage.

Abstract: A batch of seed materials is film-coated with a gas- and water-permeable, thin, adherent, uniform non-phytotoxic continuous surface film of a polymeric film-former, by (a) establishing and continuously maintaining a unit compact volume of moisture-containing viable seed materials in a state of continuous agitation and (b) continuously spraying and coating this unit compact volume of seed materials with an adjusted essentially steady predetermined flow rate of a liquid solution or suspension of a polymeric film-former, while simultaneously (i) continuously positively drying the coated seed materials by continuously directing a predetermined flow rate of a gaseous feedstream thereagainst that is at a controlled temperature less than that would adversely affect the viability thereof, (ii) continuously monitoring the temperature within the unit compact volume of seed materials in a state of continuous agitation and (iii) continuously maintaining a moisture content in the final product coated seed materials essent