Aerial seeding is a method of sowing seeds from the air using a mechanical device such as a drone, a low-flying aircraft, or a helicopter. When used to replant destroyed stretches of jungle, it is called aerial reforestation.
Given the environmental concerns about the frequency and growing intensity of forest fires worldwide, aerial seeding is now being extensively used to replant forests and regrow vegetation in grasslands destroyed by natural fires.
Aerial or broadcast seeding is considered a better option than conventional methods of sowing seeds because it is easy to access high elevations, rocky areas, and inhospitable terrain from the air.
Experiments with aerial reforestation were carried out in the 1930s. For example, planes were used to seed inaccessible mountain areas in Honolulu. However, the early experiments failed to yield the desired result, as rodents ate the seeds sown.
Today, the seed ball method is often used in broadcast seeding. Here, the seeds are packed in absorbent material like soil, compost, fertilizer and insecticides. This protects the seeds from drying out and being consumed by pests.
Last month, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd launched the “Aranya” project, which will employ drones to aerially seed 50 hectares of foliage-depleted land covering three forests in Bihar. By the end of the project, 100,000 seed balls will be scattered over the targeted area.