Seed delivery · Patent pending · Lab validated

The coating deposits.
The LSP delivers. laser seed perforator™

The barrier is physical. So is the solution.

The seed coat is an evolutionary barrier built to keep pathogens out. It also keeps your biologicals, micronutrients, and large molecules out. The Laser Seed Perforator creates precision microchannels — confirmed under microscopy at 136–145 µm — that change that.

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Seed flow — laser microperforation process
Patent pending Lab validated Onteko Inc.
The problem

The seed coat is a barrier by design

Evolution built the seed coat to keep threats out. That same barrier blocks everything you're trying to put in — biologicals, micronutrients in non-chelated forms, hormones, dsRNA.

Published patents in the industry acknowledge that microorganisms applied in conventional coating fail to colonize because of this barrier. Endophyte developers have invested in organisms that naturally internalize precisely because surface coating can't get them in. The coating industry has optimized formulations for decades without solving the fundamental problem.

The global seed treatment market exceeds $9 billion per year. The biological segment grows at over 12% annually. The technical bottleneck is still unsolved. The LSP solves it physically — with a laser pulse that creates a confirmed microchannel in the seed coat.

What conventional coating can — and cannot — deliver
✗Live microorganisms — die by desiccation on the surface before colonizing
✗Non-chelated micronutrients — cannot permeate an intact tegument
✗dsRNA and RNA-based actives — barrier is nearly impenetrable
✗Large-molecule hormones — erratic uptake, dependent on imbibition
— after LSP microperforation —
✓Live endophytes delivered directly to the endosperm interface
✓Micronutrients in any formulation, with direct interior access
✓dsRNA and gene-silencing actives through a controlled pathway
✓Hormones and regulators with consistent, repeatable delivery
LSP laboratory laser system
Current system

A lab-scale validated instrument

The current LSP system is a laboratory instrument for controlled seed treatment at bench scale. Seeds are positioned in plates at fixed coordinates, so each seed receives a precisely controlled laser pulse at the designated safe zone of the tegument. Positioning is handled entirely by the plate geometry, which makes the system mechanically simple, reliable, and fully repeatable for research and validation work.

Plate-based positioning Fixed-position protocol Controlled pulse energy Adjustable channel depth Zero chemical residues Per-seed record
Industrial scalability on request. The LSP platform is designed to scale to higher throughput and can be configured for inline integration in production coating lines. Custom configurations — including continuous-feed systems, inline coating stations, and automated vision-guided variants for random-orientation seeds — are developed per customer requirements. Contact us to discuss your application →
Microscopy validation

Real channels, measured

These are actual microscopy images of laser-created microchannels in seed coats produced by the LSP system. Channel diameters confirmed at 136–145 µm — within the target range of 50–150 µm.

Channel geometry and depth are controlled by pulse energy and can be adjusted per species and application.

Seed cross-section showing laser delivery pathway
Cross-section: laser delivery pathway into the seed interior
Laser microchannel in seed coat - 136.9 µm
136.9 µm — laser microchannel in tegument
Laser microchannel in seed coat - 144.6 µm
144.6 µm — precision laser ablation
Laser microchannel in seed coat - 0.1446 mm measured
0.1446 mm — calibrated measurement on tegument surface
The process

How the LSP works

The diagrams below illustrate the laser microperforation process and how the LSP fits into a seed treatment workflow. Inline integration into production lines is available upon request and developed per customer requirements.

Automated laser microperforation process diagram
01
Seed input & positioning
In the current lab system, seeds are placed in plates at fixed positions. In scalable inline versions, a singulation station feeds seeds individually to the processing belt.
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02
Laser perforation
A focused laser pulse ablates the tegument at the designated safe zone. Channel depth is controlled by pulse energy. Confirmed microchannels at 136–145 µm in lab validation.
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03
Post-QC imaging
A camera verifies channel formation after ablation. Each seed receives an individual treatment record — channel confirmed, position logged, treatment parameters stored.
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04
Coating delivery
The perforated seed receives the coating. The active enters through the microchannel rather than accumulating only on the surface. Full per-seed traceability maintained.
Optional upgrade

LSP + LIBS: Perforator meets Classifier

The LSP and the Laser Elemental Classifier™ (LEC) share 70–80% of their hardware and software architecture. This means the LSP can be configured with an optional LIBS spectroscopy module that converts the system into a dual-function instrument.

In the combined configuration, each seed is first classified by elemental composition via LIBS — then perforated and coated. A single inline pass yields both analytical data and treated seed, enabling new product categories where treatment is selective based on seed quality classification.

LSP + LEC combined system
Classify seed elemental composition (genotype discrimination, ploidy, lot quality) and selectively perforate and coat in the same pass. The LIBS module adds a spectrometer and plasma collection optics to the base LSP — the vision, laser, and control systems are shared.
→ Learn about the Laser Elemental Classifier™
OPTIONAL CONFIGURATION + LIBS MODULE Spectrometer · Plasma optics ICCD sync · Spectral analysis LSP CORE Laser · Optics · Control Plate positioning · QC camera TREATED SEED Per-seed QC record + LIBS PROFILE Elemental classification
136–145µm
Confirmed microchannel diameter range under microscopy
$9B+
Global seed treatment market addressed
34
Patent claims filed — method, system, seed, coating & use
70%
Of LSP hardware proven in the Laser Classifier™
Who this is for

Three target markets

The LSP addresses three distinct customer archetypes — each with a different value proposition and willingness to pay.

Coating companies
A new product category your competitors can't offer
The LSP enables premium treatments that deliver actives to the seed interior — impossible with conventional coating. Integrate it into your existing processing lines. Margin improvement, pricing power, competitive differentiation.
Seed treatment companies · Contract treaters · Ag input suppliers
Biological companies
Make your active reach where it needs to go
Your microorganism or molecule is the value. The delivery has been the bottleneck. The LSP creates a reliable, consistent pathway to the seed interior — without compromising your formulation or the seed viability.
Biological input developers · Microbiome companies · Specialty ag input formulators
Seed companies
Differentiate your seed treatment program
For major seed companies with in-house coating operations, the LSP adds capabilities impossible with conventional treatment and generates per-seed traceability data for regulatory and quality programs.
Major seed companies · In-house treatment operations · R&D programs
Intellectual property

Filed April 30, 2026 — USPTO confirmed

The USPTO issued an Electronic Acknowledgement Receipt confirming receipt of the LSP provisional patent application on April 30, 2026. The application covers five independent dimensions of the technology.

Provisional Patent · USPTO · Filed 04/30/2026
App. No. 64/053,361 · Conf. No. 9963
System and Method for Integrated Seed Classification and Delivery Channel Formation Using Laser Pulse Ablation, with Subsequent Application of Active-Ingredient Coating
Filed by Onteko Inc. · Olive Branch, MS. Application body: 23 pages. Patent Center #75704234. Non-provisional filing in preparation.
Method
Laser microperforation process with vision-guided or plate-controlled safe-zone targeting
System
Hardware architecture for inline integration with seed coating lines
Coating composition
Active-ingredient formulations designed for delivery through laser-created microchannels
Treated seed
The perforated and coated seed as a product — novel article of manufacture
Agronomic use
Methods of field use of LSP-treated seeds for enhanced biological and nutritional delivery
34 claims total
Broad coverage of the commercial space — laser-channel plus functional coating is essentially unoccupied

The LSP is part of Onteko Inc.'s laser-agtech portfolio. Onteko also holds US patent 12,532,814 B2 (granted) and pending IP on the Laser Elemental Classifier™. The LSP is the third patent position in Onteko's growing IP estate.

Why existing approaches fall short
Better coating formulations Optimizes surface deposition — does not cross the physical barrier
Mechanical scarification Imprecise, damages embryo, cannot integrate inline
Acid scarification Regulated chemical waste, kills part of the lot
Cold plasma treatment Surface modification only — no real delivery channel
Ultrasound perforation Lower precision, no embryo avoidance, not commercial
Biological internalization Species-specific lines, long cycles, costly, narrow scope
LSP — Laser Seed Perforator™ Precision · Controlled depth · Zero residues · Per-seed QC · Inline-ready
Get in touch

Early conversations welcome

The LSP is at lab-validation stage with a functional prototype, protected IP, and measured microscopy results. We're opening conversations with coating companies, biological players, and seed companies interested in being involved early.

Whether you're looking at pilot partnerships, joint development, or strategic investment — no commitment required to start. You have the application knowledge and market access. We have the technology and the IP. Let's talk.

info@ontekollc.com
Onteko Inc. — onteko.org
Olive Branch, Mississippi, USA
863-521-8998