A seed or seedling is coated with a cross-linked biopolymer and, optionally, a second binder selected from underivatized guar, cationic hydroxypropyl guar, polyacrylamide, poly(methacrylic acid), poly(acrylic acid), polyacrylate, poly(ethylene glycol), polyethyleneoxide, polyamide, hydroxypropyl guar, carboxymethyl guar, carboxymethylhydroxypropyl guar, underivatized starch, cationic starch, corn starch, wheat starch, rice starch, potato starch, tapioca, waxy maize, sorghum, waxy sarghum, sago, dextrin, chitin, chitosan, xanthan gum, carageenan gum, gum karaya, gum arabic, pectin, cellulose, hydroxycellulose, hydroxyalkyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, carboxymethylhydroxyethyl cellulose, or hydroxypropyl cellulose. The seed coating composition is characterized by a dust value, as measured using a Heubach dustmeter device, which is lower by at least 30% as compared to an analogous composition that does not contain the crosslinked biopolymer.
