Seed Quality Enhancement Through Seed Biopriming to Increase Productivity: A Review

Consistent agricultural production needs a package of methods starting from the improved crop varieties to agronomic practices to fulfil the food demand worldwide. Agricultural productivity is mainly restricted due to poor seed quality coupled with several biotic and abiotic stresses. Therefore, enhancement of agricultural production through improved quality of seed needs additional practice to achieve sustainable growth of farm income. In this context, biopriming could serve as a viable approach to enhance crop productivity as it improves the performance of plants under sub-optimal conditions. In biopriming, the bacterial inoculum is used during the imbibition process that bypasses the need for hazardous agrochemicals linked with crop management practices. The use of microbial solution on the planting material is an economically and environmentally safe method for uniform crop establishment. Alongside biotic stress amelioration, biopriming also serves as a viable solution to enhance the nutrient use efficiency in crop plants. Overall, the introduction of biopriming in agricultural practices allows farmers to achieve better production with a minimum investment of costly inputs.