Whatever the weather

摘要

Good news for farmers. A special coating means seeds can be sown early in the season without fear that a cold spell will damage them. That should extend sowing seasons and increase yields. Farmers only have a narrow window for sowing seeds. If they plant crops too early their yields will suffer if a frost comes along. So Landec Ag of California has developed coatings that stop seeds germinating until conditions are right. The coating is made of inert fatty polymers that keep water out when cold, but break down above a certain temperature. When coated seeds are planted in cold soils, they stay dormant until the soil warms up.