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Aims <p>Seed balls—compact mixtures of soil, binders, and seeds—aim to enhance germination, protect seeds from stress, and support ecological restoration. This study evaluated the germination and early growth of four forage species (<i>Onobrychis sativa, Lathyrus sativus</i><i>, </i><i>Vicia sativa, Medicago sativa</i>) using seed balls enriched with organic amendments.</p> Methods <p>Clay soil served as the base substrate, supplemented with three additives: <i>Platanus orientalis</i> leaf litter (P.O), <i>Carpinus betulus</i> leaf litter (C.B), and <i>Loranthus europaeus</i> fruit extract (L.E), each at 5% and 10%. Direct sowing was included as a control. Seed balls were placed in 150 × 120&#xa0;cm plots, spaced 30&#xa0;cm apart. Each treatment included 12 seed balls and was replicated four times. Germination rate, root and shoot length, and dry biomass were recorded.</p> Results <p>The 10% C.B treatment produced the greatest improvements across all species, with germination reaching 51.7% in <i>O. sativa</i>, 91.7% in <i>L. sativus</i>, 60.0% in <i>V. sativa</i>, and 48.3% in <i>M. sativa</i>, compared with &lt; 10% under direct sowing. Principal component analysis highlighted C.B and L.E as the most influential amendments, indicating synergistic effects on early seedling vigor. The superior performance of C.B suggests that its physicochemical and biochemical properties enhance microenvironmental stability and nutrient availability within the seed ball.</p> Conclusions <p>Overall, C.B-enriched seed balls are demonstrated to be a promising, eco-friendly, low-input, and scalable technology for accelerating the rehabilitation of degraded and semi-arid ecosystems.</p>

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Improving seedling establishment in arid lands using organic-enriched seed balls

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年4月11日

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  • Mehdi Navidi,
  • Ahmad Alijanpour,
  • Esmaeil Sheidai-Karkaj,
  • Samira Sasanifar,
  • Pedro Álvarez-Álvarez

摘要

Aims

Seed balls—compact mixtures of soil, binders, and seeds—aim to enhance germination, protect seeds from stress, and support ecological restoration. This study evaluated the germination and early growth of four forage species (Onobrychis sativa, Lathyrus sativus, Vicia sativa, Medicago sativa) using seed balls enriched with organic amendments.

Methods

Clay soil served as the base substrate, supplemented with three additives: Platanus orientalis leaf litter (P.O), Carpinus betulus leaf litter (C.B), and Loranthus europaeus fruit extract (L.E), each at 5% and 10%. Direct sowing was included as a control. Seed balls were placed in 150 × 120 cm plots, spaced 30 cm apart. Each treatment included 12 seed balls and was replicated four times. Germination rate, root and shoot length, and dry biomass were recorded.

Results

The 10% C.B treatment produced the greatest improvements across all species, with germination reaching 51.7% in O. sativa, 91.7% in L. sativus, 60.0% in V. sativa, and 48.3% in M. sativa, compared with < 10% under direct sowing. Principal component analysis highlighted C.B and L.E as the most influential amendments, indicating synergistic effects on early seedling vigor. The superior performance of C.B suggests that its physicochemical and biochemical properties enhance microenvironmental stability and nutrient availability within the seed ball.

Conclusions

Overall, C.B-enriched seed balls are demonstrated to be a promising, eco-friendly, low-input, and scalable technology for accelerating the rehabilitation of degraded and semi-arid ecosystems.