Unraveling the Seed Bio-priming Contours for Managing Plant Health

From germination to maturity, crops face myriad stresses thereby threatening food security. The foundation of modern agriculture rests on the status of seed health and resilience. Hence, developing highly efficient, low-cost, farmer-friendly, and sustainable approaches for improving seed health and performance under both field and greenhouse conditions. Seed bio-priming with plant beneficial microorganisms (++; mutualistic) improves the physiological, molecular, and stress tolerance functions of the seeds. This process allows the microorganisms adhere to the seed coat and establish an early relationship with the radicle, thereby forming the first line of defense against any external threat. Seeds bio-primed by mutualistic rhizomicroorganisms stimulate plant immunity by inducing the biosynthesis of defense-related proteins, phytohormones, antioxidants, polyphenols, etc. This review maps the various functional and applied aspects of seed bio-priming on the overall plant health under stressed environments. Furthermore, it critically examines the modulation of biochemical and molecular mechanisms for establishing redox homeostasis.