Moroccan and American scientists create a substance that may reduce the need for water and fertilizers in seeds

Moroccan scientists from King Mohammed VI University and researchers from the MIT Institute have created a material, to address the global food shortage crisis, that can reduce the need for seeds for water and fertilizer in arid regions.

Scientists from King Mohammed VI University in Morocco in collaboration with scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have come up with a promising process to protect seeds from water stress stress during the crucial germination stage, and even provide plants with additional nutrition at the same time.

As global temperatures continue to rise, many arid regions will come under increasing pressure to grow crops, which could lead to severe food shortages.

The new material consists of two layers, one of which protects the seeds from drying out and retains as much moisture as possible, and the second contains preserved microorganisms called “root bacteria” and some nutrients to help the seeds grow.

When the seeds coated with this substance are exposed to water and soil, the microbes adjust the nitrogen levels in the soil, providing the growing seedlings with nutrient fertilizer to aid growth, and thus can reduce the need for water and fertilizer.

 

if..

 

How can this substance protect the seeds from water stress and also provide additional nutrition?

Will the use of this material increase the cost of planting seeds to farmers?

And when can this technology become available to farmers to protect seeds from drought and salinity?

 

Questions that we discussed in a new episode of the #Whats_New program with the media #Ashraf_Shehab, and the guest of the meeting was Professor Manal Al-Mahdi, a researcher in the Department of Agricultural Sciences at Mohammed VI University, from the city of Ibn Jarir.

 

To watch the full meeting: