Seed priming: what's next?

Abstract

Seed priming is a pragmatic enhancement technology to improve seed performance used from ancient to modern times. Priming accelerates and synchronises the germination of seeds across a wider range of temperatures, giving rapid and uniform stand establishment of crop plants, particularly for low vigour and dormant seeds. Further investigation is necessary to extend the utilisation of low-cost and effective priming agents to a broader spectrum of species and to enhance availability. Seed priming is a cost-effective solution for small farmers as it reduces production costs and leads to uniform picking and harvesting, thus adding value in terms of quality. It is essential to scale up these approaches at both farmer and industry levels, particularly in developing countries. The benefits of priming are attributed to various putative molecular mechanisms such as epigenetic control of priming, germination, and dormancy-related attributes. However, in different species and cultivars, it remains elusive and there is a paucity of studies on the long-term benefits of re-drying after priming. This in-depth review summarises aspects of priming techniques in a modern context.