The DITF together with ESKUSA GmbH developed technical textiles for agriculture.
In order for seeds to emerge optimally, you can "pack" them beforehand. This creates smallpellets , which is why the process is called "pelleting". The advantages are obvious: the seed becomes "grippier", all seeds get a uniform size and weight, and very small seeds get more volume. This makes it easier to place the seed in the soil with machinery. Textile wrappings are particularly suitable as packaging because they are biodegradable, unlike plastics such as PAV. In contrast to seed embedded in gelatin capsules or alginate, textile seed wrappings can be excellently functionalized. They are equipped with nutrients for the emerging plants, and substances such as activated carbon protect against pests. This means that active ingredients are applied directly to the seed and do not have to be sprayed over large areas of the soil.
After extensive testing, a cotton fleece was selected as the material. Its textile structure quickly gives way when the seedling pushes outward and to the surface.
Until now, the production of these multipills could not be standardized in commercially available pelleting machines; it requires a great deal of intuition and results in different numbers of seeds within a pill for each pelleting batch. It is not uncommon for the process to render entire seed batches unusable.
