Spraying of seeds from the sky to increase re-forestation
Recently, Marut Drones (a Hyderabad based startup) has started aerial seeding campaign to tackle the challenge of reforestation through its ‘Hara Bhara’ initiative’.
Earlier, Haryana Forest Department had used aerial seeding technique in the year 2020. This experiment was done to increase the green cover in the Aravalli region of Faridabad.
In addition, in the year 2015, Andhra Pradesh also started aerial seeding program using helicopters of the Indian Navy.
Aerial seeding is a technique of plantation. In this, seed balls are sprayed at a predetermined location using aerial means, such as aircraft, helicopters or drones. In these seed balls, the seeds are mixed with soil, compost, charcoal and other components to form a ball.
After scattering in the barren area, the seed balls are expected to dissolve when it rains and change as the seeds germinate.
Benefits of aerial seeding:
- Plantation becomes easier in difficult terrain or inaccessible areas. Apart from this, it also helps in increasing the forest cover.
- The process of seed germination and growth is such that it does not require attention after dispersal.
- This eliminates the need for plowing the soil and digging pits.
- But it should be noted that the species selected should be endemic to an area with a high survival percentage.
Source – The Hindu
