The problem

Soil salinity threatens over 20% of irrigated land worldwide, severely reducing yields of strategic crops such as wheat, maize, and cowpea. Traditional seed treatments are either chemically intensive, not scalable, or ineffective under high salt stress. There is an urgent need for a low‑cost, eco‑friendly, and industrially applicable machine that can coat seeds uniformly with natural materials to boost germination and productivity in saline soils.

Our solution a novel rotary coating machine

We have designed a rotary drum reactor (similar to a concrete mixer) that integrates three key innovations:

• Ozone‑activated water is generated on‑board; it increases surface wettability and provides mild sterilization.
• Nitrogen gas plasma – injected into the drum at low pressure (13.56 MHz RF, 20%.
• Mechanism – Plasma etching + bio‑coating enhances water uptake, nutrient absorption, and antioxidant enzyme activity, leading to higher salinity tolerance.

How the machine works (step‑by‑step)

• Load raw seeds into the rotating drum.
• Spray ozonated water to moisten seeds.
• Add the dry powder mixture.
• Introduce low‑pressure nitrogen plasma (13.56 MHz, 60 W, 1‑2 min) while the drum rotates.
• Continue rotation for 5‑10 min to allow uniform adhesion and partial drying.
• Discharge coated seeds ready for planting in saline fields.

Scalability and impact

The machine can be built at different scales: from a 50‑kg prototype for cooperatives to a 2‑ton industrial unit. It uses recycled agricultural waste (lignin, charcoal) and non‑thermal plasma (low energy, no hazardous chemicals). By enabling farmers to reclaim saline land, the technology directly supports climate‑resilient agriculture and food security.

Prize use

The award will be used to build a fully operational 200‑kg/batch prototype, test it on wheat, maize, and cowpea under controlled saline conditions, and file a PCT patent application.

Conclusion

Our rotary plasma‑bio coating machine is a practical, proven, and patentable innovation that transforms waste‑derived biomaterials and cold plasma into a powerful tool for saline agriculture. It bridges laboratory success (25‑40% yield increases) with real‑world, low‑cost implementation.