Fluid drilling is a system involving pregermination of seeds followed by their suspension in a gel. These seeds are then extruded into a field prepared furrow using specialized seeding equipment. The gel is used to protect the delicate radicle during sowing. Fluid drilling has not been extensively used commercially, but sowing only germinated seeds has been successful for improving seedling stand establishment especially under poor environmental conditions.
Seeds that are to be used for fluid drilling are pre-germinated and then mixed in a gel material like hydrolyzed starch-polyacrylonitrile or guar gum. The arrow shows the radicle emerging from the seed insuring a high potential for field emergence.
