AKRON, OH / ACCESSWIRE / August 5, 2022 / Daniel Cox of Klondike Agriculture and Dr. Brant Touchette, Professor of Biology at Elon University, conducted studies on the efficacy of the KAPSOL platform in improving plant performance. The KAPSOL platform involves the encapsulation of seeds in pharmaceutical capsules along with controlled-release fertilizers. The studies reveal that controlled-release fertilizers along with encapsulated seeds may improve tomato plant performance over conventionally planted seeds.

'We see this as a possible extension of post-harvest seed enhancement such as seed coatings. However, this technology provides more volume to deliver greater plant-benefitting materials. In these studies, we found that delivering smaller amounts of controlled-release fertilizers directly to the seed during planting could match, or even exceed, the productivity of tomatoes grown in fields using larger quantities of conventionally applied fertilizers. It is our hope that this technology may help reduce the amount of fertilizer necessary for crop production and lessen agriculturally driven land and water pollution,' Dr. Touchette said when asked about the KAPSOL technology.

The studies sought to observe the efficacy of capsules as a form of seed enhancement in tomatoes with or without the inclusion of various fertilizers. Study results indicated that conventionally planted seeds produced about half as many flowers per plant when compared to plants that had seeds encapsulated with controlled-release fertilizers. Additionally, for all encapsulated seed treatments, the fresh weight of ripened fruit was greater than those planted conventionally.

The results confirm that the gelatin component of the capsule acts as a biostimulant and can improve plant growth even without fertilizers; when fertilizers were introduced, plant performance increased drastically. It also appears that some controlled-release fertilizers perform better than others, and tomatoes grown from encapsulated seeds can sustain relatively high productivity even when planted in nutrient-poor sandy soils.

Klondike is conducting studies with greenhouse, forestry, direct sow, and agrochemical partners. To participate in or learn more about Klondike's continuing studies visit the Klondike website at https://klondikeag.com

About Klondike Agricultural Products: Klondike Agricultural Products is a company based in Akron, OH. Founder Daniel Cox has been refining the KAPSOL platform since its inception in the 1990s. For more information on the KAPSOL platform, contact Neil Goodman at 330-564-9875 or neil@klondikeag.com.

SOURCE: Klondike Agricultural Products