In Hard-to-Reach Areas, Biodegradable Seed-Carriers Come to the Rescue

A group of engineers affiliated with Penn University, in Pennsylvania, United States, has designed an “E-seed” that buries itself into the soil, simplifying aerial seeding in difficult-to-access areas, where the corkscrew-like wooden stalk can be delivered in an aerial fashion.

“Geometry can enhance the functionality of the materials beyond what nature offers us,” explains Shu Yang, professor and chair of Materials Science and Engineering and professor in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Penn Engineering. “It also makes the design versatile to be applied to other materials.”

The biodegradable E-seed, a corkscrew-like stalk, is fashioned from wood veneer. In rain or high-humidity environment, the thin and tightly wound stalk twists and pushes the seed into the soil, protecting it from harsh conditions and birds. Thanks to the autonomous e-seed, aerial seeding would be made easier, since it would be possible to reach different environments to drop seeds and fertilizers.