Seed Sauna: ThermoSeed Revolutionizes Seed Treatment

An innovative seed treatment process is gaining steam in Europe, and it could have significant implications for the agriculture industry and the environment.

Turning up the heat: Swedish researcher Kenneth Alness invented ThermoSeed several years ago. After reading a book from the 1950s, he learned that some farmers would boil seeds in hot water to sterilize them before planting. This practice fell out of favor when chemical treatments became popular.

However, since chemical treatments are a big no-no in organic settings, organic farmers struggle with good seed treatments. After Alness invented an innovative way to “heat treat” seeds using steam, the practice caught on with organic farmers. But several years later, he realized this would be a good alternative even for conventional farmers.

In 2008 and 2011, two of Sweden’s largest agricultural cooperatives adopted his ThermoSeed technology, and the results have been noticed—especially by those concerned with the effects chemicals may have on the environment.

Big benefits: Lantmännen, the co-op that adopted ThermoSeed in 2008, estimates that the method saved the use of 3K cubic meters of chemicals.

Plus, growers like it too—especially when dealing with treatment dust.

According to farmer Gustaf Silén, “The bags with the seed… can be quite dusty and you get this all over you. That is not the case with ThermoSeed—it’s much easier to handle.”

Looking to the future: Although some farmers are skeptical about non-chemical options, ThermoSeed technology is proving effective, just like chemical treatments.

And, with major success in Sweden and Norway, the tech’s promoters are now looking east as they develop scaled-down treatment equipment to serve promising Asian markets.