US Patent Issued to University of Tennessee Research Foundation on Oct. 14 for "Seed pre-soak technology with a drop of hematite nanoparticle fertilizer for increased plant growth" (Tennessee Inventor)

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Oct. 21 -- United States Patent no. 12,441,666, issued on Oct. 14, was assigned to University of Tennessee Research Foundation (Knoxville, Tenn.).

"Seed pre-soak technology with a drop of hematite nanoparticle fertilizer for increased plant growth" was invented by Soubantika Palchoudhury (Chattanooga, Tenn.).

According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A method for enhancing plant growth by pre-soaking a seed or plant material to be germinated with a drop of an iron oxide nanoparticle solution or dispersion is described. Pre-soaking the seed or other plant material with the nanoparticle solution or dispersion can, among other things, increase the growth rate, life span, fruit production of ...