Nativ Carbon, a Perth-based company that delivers vegetation farming for carbon offsets, is trialling native seed coating at Plantrite Nursery, using technology developed by Curtin University.
Since their initiation in January, Nativ Carbon director David Lullfitz said the trials have already shown favourable results in enhancing nursery efficiency.
It will assist us to scale up and grow vast amounts of native Western Australian plants to reforest huge areas and service the carbon farming market.
Nativ Carbon director, David Lullfitz.
Given the scarce supply of seed, David said it is crucial to bolster the precision of their work.
“Only 2 per cent of natural vegetation remains in the Wheatbelt in which to collect seed from. Pelleted seeds will enable the sowing process to be more mechanised and precise, further progressing vast planting projects requiring millions of seeds in a variety of biodiverse species mix,” David said.
Pelleting offers a solution for challenging seeds like those of Eucalyptus or Melaleuca, which are less than one millimetre in diameter.
Dr Simone Pendrini of Curtin University’s School of Molecular and Life Science said the technique makes small, harder to sow seeds, into a more manageable size to boost their success.
“In this process, clay material is added to the seed and held together with a polymeric binder until each small seed reaches the desired size.”
Nativ Carbon is gearing up for future reforestation projects which aim to keep implementing eco-friendly plantings using native flora.
“Recently the nursery has invested in more than $1m worth of new infrastructure and machinery allowing for high-speed seedling lines, as part of our strategy to further mechanise to cater for large-scale native planting projects,” David said.
Simone is hopeful about the future of this vital technology and its role in rejuvenating Australia’s diverse ecosystems.
“With further development of pelleting recipes and their application to a broader range of species, it will be possible to drastically improve native seed use efficiency and help the restoration industry achieve its ambitious goals,” Simone said.
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Curtin University is a sponsor of Startup News.
