A majority of agricultural activities are conducted under fragile lands or set-up. The growth and development of crops are negatively affected due to several biotic and abiotic stresses. In the current situation, research efforts have been diverted toward the short-term approaches that can improve crop performance under changing environments. Seed treatment or priming technology is in a transition phase of its popularity among resource-poor farmers. Suitable policy intervention can boost low-cost techniques to implement them on a larger scale in developing countries and to harness the maximum benefits of sustainable food production systems. Primed seeds have high vigor and germination rate that help in seedling growth and successful crop stand establishment under stress conditions. This review is attempted to assess different seed priming techniques in terms of resource use efficiency, crop productivity, cost–benefit balance, and environmental impacts. Moreover, a comprehensive study of the mechanisms (physiological and biochemical) of seed priming is also elaborated. A detailed examination of the applications of priming technology under diverse agroecosystems can improve our understanding of the adaptive management of natural resources.

Stomata are crucial structures in plants that play a primary role in the infection process during a pathogen’s attack, as they act as points of access for invading pathogens to enter host tissues. Recent evidence has revealed that stomata are integral to the plant defense system and can actively impede invading pathogens by triggering plant defense responses. Stomata interact with diverse pathogen virulence factors, granting them the capacity to influence plant susceptibility and resistance. Moreover, recent studies focusing on the environmental and microbial regulation of stomatal closure and opening have shed light on the epidemiology of bacterial diseases in plants. Bacteria and fungi can induce stomatal closure using pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), effectively preventing entry through these openings and positioning stomata as a critical component of the plant’s innate immune system; however, despite this defense mechanism, some microorganisms have evolved strategies to overcome stomatal protection. Interestingly, recent research supports the hypothesis that stomatal closure caused by PAMPs may function as a more robust barrier against pathogen infection than previously believed. On the other hand, plant stomatal closure is also regulated by factors such as abscisic acid and Ca²⁺-permeable channels, which will also be discussed in this review. Therefore, this review aims to discuss various roles of stomata during biotic and abiotic stress, such as insects and water stress, and with specific context to pathogens and their strategies for evading stomatal defense, subverting plant resistance, and overcoming challenges faced by infectious propagules. These pathogens must navigate specific plant tissues and counteract various constitutive and inducible resistance mechanisms, making the role of stomata in plant defense an essential area of study.

The increasing demand for qualitative and varietal foods by the consumer society is a big concern for energy production, and utilization of that energy in a judicious manner for sustainable management of resources is a big challenge in the eminent future. Existing resources (land, water, fertilizer, etc.) and their socioeconomic aspects warrant the farming community to adopt alternative strategies aimed at enhancing the use efficiency of inputs and improve the environmental quality. The adaptability of microbes to thrive in different environments has prompted scientists to introduce microbial intervention in the agricultural processes. Bio-priming has the potential to fulfill many objectives of the modern production system with the use of beneficial microorganisms in an eco-friendly manner. Interestingly, it also plays a crucial role in enhancing the nutrient use efficiency of crops. There is rising evidence of a paradigm shift from the use of a single microbe to a consortium approach for efficient rhizosphere engineering in the context of sustainable agriculture. Our understanding of different signaling cascades, rhizosphere chemistry, and other mechanisms of plant–microbial interactions will frame suitable strategies to harness the best ecosystem services including improved resource use efficiency.

Priming techniques are gaining importance in agriculture with the increase in environmental stresses. Resource-poor farmers are in urgent need of such techniques as they are simple, economical, and value-added intervention associated with low-risk bearing factors. Seed enhancement methods are key to improve seed performance and achieve a good stand establishment. Worldwide beneficial effects of priming are recorded. But these technologies have still not reached most farmers. This review highlights the importance of on-farm priming strategies in modern crop production system to yield better productivity and obtain higher economic returns. Stimulation of the pre-germination metabolic changes by priming is necessary to overcome the environmental challenges that a plant can encounter. Thus, the study also focuses on mechanisms associated with priming-induced stress tolerance of crops. Various safe practical methods of seed priming can be easily adopted by the farming community to alleviate the levels of different stresses which can hamper productivity. Simultaneously they can produce good quality seeds and use them further for the next crop cycle cutting the costs of seed purchase.