SYDNEY, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Researchers in Australia on Tuesday have become the first in the world to publish openly available instructions for developing seed-coating technology which may be used to repair damaged ecosystems and rejuvenate degraded landscape.
Originally designed for the agriculture industry, the process of seed-coating involves covering seeds with material recipes to increase germination, protection and growth.
Often guarded closely by private companies, the technology has always been kept extremely secretive.
But scientists from Curtin University's School of Molecular and Life Sciences believe the same process could be the solution to global restoration of land.
"The air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat are the goods and services we get from healthy ecosystems," co-author Professor Kingsley Dixon explained.
"The problem is that seeds often fail because of poor soil and difficult conditions for plant germination in degraded landscapes."
According to Dixon, the most cost-effective way to combat this is to plant native seeds and restore healthy ecosystems with the aid of technology.
