Seed priming enhances plant tolerance to drought stress by influencing morpho-physiological traits and molecular mechanisms

The safety and security of the global food and nutritional supply are at risk due to abiotic stresses associated with a changing climate. Among abiotic stresses, drought is a significant challenge for plants, as it adversely affects their survival and sustained productivity. Researchers in crop science have investigated diverse advanced biological strategies to reduce the consequences of drought stress in plants. Seed priming (SP) is a strategy where various organic and inorganic substances are used to improve the resilience of plants in stressful conditions. Therefore, SP with various substances is a reliable, cost-effective approach to increasing plant resistance to drought stress by promoting physiological, biochemical and molecular activities in plants. Using SP helps plants adapt to drought conditions, offering a promising agricultural strategy to manage and mitigate the impact of drought on crops. The two most popular and straightforward technologies among the SP approaches are hydropriming and osmoprimimg. Under drought conditions, primed seeds can mitigate oxidative stress and retain a memory of prior stress by activating cellular defense mechanisms, shorten the imbibition period, enhance the germination process, and regulate osmotic pressure. However, a comprehensive understanding of structural, functional, and metabolic changes occurring in plants is necessary for the successful application of the SP technique. This review focuses on various SP techniques, exploring their morphological, physiological, and molecular responses. It also discusses the opportunities and challenges associated with these techniques in parallel, aiming to enhance their effective utilization in agriculture. Furthermore, the review explores the role of SP in imparting plant tolerance to drought stress across different scenarios.