ABSTRACT
The time from seed sowing to seedling establishment is a crucial period during the life cycle of a plant when the seed is exposed to a wide range of environmental factors that can adversely affect germination performance and successful establishment of a healthy young seedling. The original laboratory-based priming techniques have been scaled up so that priming can now be performed on a large scale using both osmotic and nonosmotic technologies, both of which depend on accurate control of water relationships in seeds during the imbibition phase. Seeds are osmotically primed by incubation at a specific temperature and for a defined period of time in polyethylene glycol or salt solutions, which typically provide an osmoticum. Quantitative determinations of the Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) content of seeds during osmopriming have been performed on only a few species. Essential nature of DNA repair processes in the seed in relation to benefits gained by the seed during osmopriming procedures has yet to be confirmed.
