Seed priming: an emerging tool towards sustainable agriculture

Agriculture is a vital sector in India, supporting over 80% of the rural population through farming and related activities. To meet the food demands of the country’s growing population, it is essential to achieve optimal crop yields. However, challenges such as urbanisation, environmental pollution, biotic and abiotic stresses, and micronutrient deficiencies adversely affect seed germination and crop productivity. This review addresses the various factors hindering seed germination and plant growth, with a particular focus on seed priming techniques and mechanisms. Seed priming enhances the uniformity and vigour of germination, thereby improving crop establishment and yield. The technique activates key metabolic processes that prevent seed deterioration, break dormancy, and induce systemic resistance to stresses. Physiological and biochemical changes induced by seed priming are thoroughly examined. Numerous priming approaches—including hydropriming, halopriming, osmo priming, hormone priming, nutripriming, biopriming, and nano priming have been extensively investigated. Additionally, emerging research on bio-nano seed priming, which integrates nano fertilisers with plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria, presents a novel avenue to further enhance crop productivity.