Farmers have long been urged to make space for pollinator habitats on their land. While most farmers are receptive to the idea, the reality of the time and labor involved can make it a tough sell. Now, researchers at Cornell University may have found a way to nearly eliminate both those pain points with milkweed and wildflower seed pellets that work in standard crop seed planting machines.
Cornell researcher Antonio DiTommaso says their “Multiseed Zea Pellets” are the same shape and density as corn seeds, allowing them to work in planters. “Typically, milkweed plants are grown out from seedlings and then transplanted, a process that has limited farmer adoption of flowering strips near cornfields,” explains DiTommaso. “And, you know, using transplants is ok, for small areas to be planted, but it’s still time-consuming and costly.”
Scientists have long advocated for farmers to plant wildflower buffer strips to counter low biodiversity and attract beneficial insects. As with many “suggestions” doled out to farmers, the mechanics of how that can be done is usually an afterthought.
DiTommaso and colleague John Losey, professor of entomology, were among those that thought farmers could simply run milkweed or wildflower seeds through their planting machines. When they learned that wasn’t the case, they came up with the idea of developing seeds that would work with standard equipment. “You’re not going to ask farmers to buy another piece of equipment to plant wildflowers, even if a grower is very supportive and believes in the cause,” DiTommaso said.
The pellets are formulated with three different milkweeds (common, swamp, and butterfly) and three kinds of wildflowers (purple coneflower, wild bergamot, and black-eyed Susan). The pellets are composed of a mixture of diatomaceous earth, wood powder, and maltodextrin that hold about three seeds each.
Milkweed is essential for monarch butterflies – it is literally the only food source for monarch caterpillars and female monarchs only lay eggs on milkweed. Adult monarchs feed on various flowering plants, much like bees and other pollinators that are essential for producing much of the world’s food.
The researchers recently planted a test plot with the pellets at a Cornell research farm in Freeville, New York, which will allow the seeds to break dormancy in the winter and sprout and emerge in spring of 2025. The team has a patent pending for the Multiseed Zea Pellet technology through Cornell’s Center for Technology Licensing and is working with industry partners to scale up the technology. Learn more at Cornell University HERE.
