Soil salinity is one of the significant abiotic threats to crops that deteriorates crop yields, and the world’s increasing population faces serious food problems due to abiotic threats. It is one of the major abiotic problems affecting more than 30% of irrigated land across the globe. The concentrations of various salts, such as NaCl, KCl, Na₂SO₄, and Na₂CO₃, cause saline stress; however, NaCl is the most abundant salt in the soil. Salinity could affect seed germination due to osmotic potential or due to specific toxic ion effects, and it decreases germination percentage and increases germination time, and high salt stress is responsible for delaying seed germination. Therefore, it is necessary to alleviate the negative impact of soil salinity during seedling growth periods, so the growth of crops in salt-affected soil will be much more enhanced. Seed priming is the utmost effective technique that could mitigate the harmful impact of soil salinity. This methodology not only minimizes the salinity tolerance but also strengthens the defense system of crops. In this technique, the hydration level within the seeds is controlled by applying pre-sowing treatments, allowing specific pre-germinative metabolic processes to occur and preventing radical emergence. Seed priming also decreases the seed germination time and improves antioxidant enzyme activities, stopping or minimizing reactive oxygen species’ adverse effects. It enhances the seedling performance with rapid and homogenous germination and vigorous and dynamic growth of the seedling, achieving a physiological situation leading to quick and enhanced emergence and germination of various crops. This review covers the mechanisms of seed priming, salinity tolerance, seed priming crosstalk with salinity tolerance, and seed priming techniques that induce biochemical, physiological, and morphological mechanisms in saline stress. Further research needs to be performed on advanced seed priming methods such as priming with nanoparticles and seed priming with physical agents (UV radiation, X-rays, gamma rays, and microwaves) to minimize the negative impact of salinity stress on different crops under different harsh environmental conditions.

Cadmium (Cd) contamination in soil adversely affects crop productivity, grain quality, and human health. Applications of boron (B) and biochar are known to impart tolerance to crops against abiotic stresses. A pot experiment was performed to assess the effects of the sole and combined application of B and biochar on growth, physiological and antioxidant defense mechanisms, yield, and grain quality of wheat under Cd toxicity-induced stress. The treatments included control (0 mg kg⁻¹ and 0 g kg⁻¹), only Cd (15 mg kg⁻¹), only B (5 g kg⁻¹), only biochar (50 g kg⁻¹), B plus biochar, Cd plus B, Cd plus biochar, and Cd plus B plus biochar, which were applied at the time of sowing and were arranged using completely randomized design (CRD) with five replications. The individual Cd toxicity (15 mg kg⁻¹) significantly reduced chl a, chl b, and chl a+b, as well as primary metabolites (soluble protein, amino acids, total soluble sugar, and phenolic contents), while it increased the activities of enzymatic antioxidants like superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) in the leaves of wheat. In addition, Cd stress (15 mg kg⁻¹) increased lipid peroxidation in the form of malondialdehyde (MDA), and it enhanced the hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) content, electrolyte leakage (EL), and proline contents in the leaves. Furthermore, Cd (15 mg kg⁻¹) contamination reduced the grain yield and yield-related attributes relative to respective no-Cd treatments. Soil-applied B and biochar improved wheat grain yield by triggering the activities of enzymatic antioxidants. Individual or combined B and biochar applications improved proline contents and reduced H₂O₂ and MDA contents in plants. The combined application of B and biochar enhanced soluble sugars and total phenolic as compared to the control and Cd-contaminated plants. In conclusion, the combined application of B and biochar was found to be the best soil amendment strategy to improve the yield of wheat under Cd-contaminated soil.

Zinc (Zn) is an important micronutrient for plants, whose deficiency in alkaline soils creates hurdles in the achievement of optimum crop growth. Moreover, overuse of phosphorus (P) fertilizers often causes Zn immobilization in the soil. The employment of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) could be potentially environmentally friendly technology in this regard. Therefore, a pot experiment was conducted to assess the beneficial role of AMF (Glomus species) on maize under low and high P and Zn levels. Seven levels of Zn (0, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100 and 120 mg Zn kg⁻¹ soil ZnSO₄·7H₂O) and three levels of P (0, 14.5, 29 and 58 kg ac⁻¹ as single superphosphate) were applied with (M+) and without AMF (M−). The results showed that a high application rate of Zn (100 and 120 mg Zn kg⁻¹ soil) restricted P translocation in plants and vice versa. Moreover, the nutritional status of mycorrhizal plants (AM) was better than non-mycorrhizal (NM) plants. AM plants showed a maximum positive response at 20 mg Zn kg⁻¹ soil, or 29 kg P ac⁻¹. In response to 20 mg Zn kg⁻¹ soil, root colonization was maximum, which enhanced the maize nutrient concentration in shoots. In conclusion, AMF inoculation (M+) with P (29 kg ac⁻¹) and Zn (20 mg kg⁻¹) is efficacious for improving maize’s growth and nutrition. More investigations are suggested at the field level under different agroclimatic zones to ascertain whether P (29 kg ac⁻¹) or Zn (20 mg kg⁻¹) with AMF is the best treatment for maize growth optimization.

Boron deficiency drastically affects the yield and quality of many crops especially maize. The low availability of boron in soils is one of the major causes of poor quality and low yield of maize in Pakistan. A wirehouse experiment was carried out at Department of Crop Physiology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad to optimize the dose of boron to increase quality and yield of maize. Two recommended local maize hybrids Monsanto-919 and Monsanto-5219 were evaluated in a randomized complete block design with factorial arrangements. The Boron was applied as borax @ 0, 0.3, 0.6, 0.9, 1.2 and 1.5 kg ha¯¹ at tasseling stage. Although both hybrids showed non-significant differences in yield attributes exogenous boron supply @ 0.6 kg boron ha¯¹ increased grain yield by 27% as compared to control treatment in both the hybrids. It increased grain oil, protein and starch contents by 10%, 12% and 16% respectively.