Abstract: A gel-coating apparatus for seeds comprising: a nozzle portion for forming and cutting a gel coating film by opening and closing operation of a cutting plunger; a seed storing vessel moving upward and downward; an arm having a rotation shaft at the center thereof and a hollow needle at both ends thereof; a seed supply portion having pipes for communicating the needles with a negative pressure source and a positive pressure source by way of electromagnetic valves; a curing vessel provided below the nozzle portion; and a control section for synchronously operating the movement of the curing vessel, the nozzle portion, the seed storing vessel, the arm, and the seed supply portion.

Abstract: A gel-coating apparatus for seeds comprising: a nozzle portion for forming and cutting a gel coating film by opening and closing operation of a cutting plunger; a seed storing vessel moving upward and downward; an arm having a rotation shaft at the center thereof and a hollow needle at both ends thereof; a seed supply portion having pipes for communicating the needles with a negative pressure source and a positive pressure source by way of electromagnetic valves; a curing vessel provided below the nozzle portion; and a control section for synchronously operating the movement of the curing vessel, the nozzle portion, the seed storing vessel, the arm, and the seed supply portion.

Abstract: Apparatus for generating seeds includes a seed supply portion having a rotating drum with a small aperture for attracting a seed by vacuum created inside the drum and which is broken at a predetermined rotational position, and a gel-coating portion having a cylindrical cutting plunger disposed inside of a nozzle body for opening and closing a gel flow channel and forming a gel-coating layer. A curing vessel having a curing agent flow channel and a spray nozzle for washing the coated seeds are also provided.

Abstract: A method of gel-coating a seed comprises opening and closing a gel flow channel in a nozzle main body containing a gel therewithin by a cutting plunger, forming a gel-coating layer by opening a valve, supplying a seed contained in a seed storing vessel through the inside of said cutting plunger to the gel-coating layer thereby gel-coating the seed, and then falling the gel-coated seed into a curing vessel by closing the valve. A gel-coating apparatus included a seed supply portion comprising a rotational drum having a small aperture for attracting a speed by vacuum created inside which is broken at a predetermined rotational position by an aperture closing member and a gel-coating portion having a cylindrical cutting plunger disposed at the inside of a nozzle main body for opening and closing a gel flow channel and means for the supplying the gel into the gel flow channel.

Abstract: A new method of processing a plant seed wherein a coating treatment is applied to a plant seed with an aqueous alkali salt solution of an aqueous gel to form a coating layer thereon and said coating layer is reacted with an aqueous solution of a divalent or trivalent metal salt to render the coating layer insoluble to water. Particularly, the improvement is accomplished by encapsulating the plant seed in the above mentioned gel coating together with an air bubble. This encapsulation is performed by means of a nozzle having a telescopic structure, in which a plant seed and air is supplied through the inner passage while the gel is supplied the surrounding annular passage. The nozzle is used in a vertical orientation and the lower end performs a valve function to control the gel supply.