Introduction to the Seed Ball |
History |
Sustainable pRoperties of the seed ball
PROTECTS FROM SEED PREDATION
Seed balls are a sustainable method of agriculture due to their ability protect the seed from predation. In Overdyck, Clarkson et. al.'s (2013) study they found that when the clay seed ball with the fleshy fruit removed was used to broadcast tree seeds, germination and seed establishment (Table 1) increased significantly and seed loss (Table 2) was reduced. Further research is necessary to provide insight on if a natural repellent used in the clay seed ball would have any significant effect. Table 1 . ANOVA results reporting the effects of site and three seed treatments and their interactions on Beilschmiedia tawa seedling establishment after 1 year, at one rural and two urban sites all with mammalian predators present.
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Table 2. ANOVA results reporting the effects of species, site and three seed treatments and their interactions on mean seed loss (including mammalian seed predation) during a 16week period.
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NO-TILL SYSTEM
The seed ball was made to be incorporated into a no-till system. A no-till system is exactly what it implies. No tilling. A no-till system has plenty of benefits that are shown in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln CropWatch's (2014) experiments. Their experiments did not incorporate the seed ball. Further research is necessary to indicate what type of impact the seed ball will have. Low Labor
In Table 3 are the recorded the typical number of hours per acre it would take if there are normal soil conditions on a 100 horsepower tractor. On the table you can see that the no-till condition was the lowest in labor hours per acre (University of Nebraska-Lincoln CropWatch. 2014). Table 3. Typical Labor Hours, Per Acre
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Low Fuel Consumption
In The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Cropwatch's (2014) study they recorded the typical amount of diesel gas, in gallons, consumed per acre. As you can see on the table the no-till condition was the lowest consumer in diesel gasoline. Table 4. Typical Diesel Fuel Requirements, Gallon Per Acre
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Improves Soil Fertility/Yields
In their experiments on the numerous types of tilling systems they also emphasized that the yields they were getting were evidence that the no-till system was not only consistently having greater yields but was also building soil structure (The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Cropwatch. 2014). The consistent high yields from Table 5 also can contribute to how profitable the low cost, low labor system can be if managed correctly (The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Cropwatch. 2014). Again the seed ball was not used in this experiment and further research is necessary to indicate the impact the seed ball will have. |
Table 5. Rodgers Memorial Farm - Corn Yields bu/A
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Applications
Though there is not a lot of scientific research dedicated to the clay seed ball on farms there are many ways it is being applied today in other ways.
The RainMaker Project in Kenya
The RainMaker Project is a forest restoration project that is funded by the Yokohama Art Project which is a NPO who is looking to utilize the seed ball to fight afforestation. They are also looking to spread the method of the seed ball among Kenyan inhabitants and spread knowledge about environmental education through workshops and films (RainMaker Project. 2008). |
What they have done so far.
Though their website does not seem to be updated they have an activity report as recent as 2009.
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