Development of a seeding pellet system for use in soil conservation forestry

Abstract

Soil conservation forestry is a necessary intervention in Iceland. Ecosystem health relates to ecosystem services, and forest ecosystems best perform those most needed for settlement and land use in Iceland. Soil conservation forestry tends not to generate revenue, and the benefits it offers are vital but intangible. As such it is of interest to develop new methods which can drive down the price of afforestation for these necessary interventions. One option that has been touted in recent years is drone seeding, the effectiveness of which is contingent upon the existence of effecting seeding pellet systems. Systems developed by private companies have not been rigorously reviewed, nor is much of the data available on their success rates, necessitating development of a new system with openly available data on its effectiveness.In the spring and summer of 2024 an experiment was conducted in the research greenhouse at Mógilsa, to evaluate the in-vitro effectiveness of seeding pellet systems suitable to distribution with drones. Treatments included organic food industry waste streams or synthetic fertilizers, with biochar selected as a substrate, with pill capsules as containers or microbial biofilms and organic materials as binding agents. The trial was screened for both germination and plant height to discern whether the various pellet constructions interfered with or lowered germination rates as well as to study differences in plant growth rates between treatments.The results of the trial showed clear differences between germination and growth rates for the various treatments. Success scores were generated by relating the germination and growth rates of the pellet constructions for each species. The best performer for birch was the treatment with Osmocote slow-release fertilizer. The best performer for pine was the treatment made with organic wastes from food production.