Food security is one of the world’s top challenges, specifically considering global issues like climate change. Seed priming is one strategy to improve crop production, typically via increased germination, yields, and/or stress tolerance. Hydropriming, or soaking seeds in water only, is the simplest form of seed priming. However, the addition of certain seed priming agents has resulted in a variety of modified strategies, including osmopriming, halopriming, hormonal priming, PGR priming, nutripriming, and others. Most current research has focused on hormonal and nutripriming. This review will focus on the specific compounds that have been used most often over the past 3 years and the physiological effects that they have had on crops. Over half of recent research has focused on four compounds: (1) salicylic acid, (2) zinc, (3) gibberellic acid, and (4) potassium nitrate. One of the most interesting characteristics of all chemical seed priming agents is that they are exposed only to seeds yet confer benefits throughout plant development. In some cases, such benefits have been passed to subsequent generations, suggesting an epigenetic effect, which is supported by observed changes in DNA methylation and histone modification. This review will summarize the current state of knowledge on molecular changes and physiological mechanisms associated with chemical seed priming agents and discuss avenues for future research.

Drought including both meteorological drought and water deficiency stress conditions is a major constraint on global agricultural productivity, particularly affecting Brassica species, which are vital oilseed and vegetable crops. As climate change intensifies, understanding plant responses to drought is crucial for improving drought resilience. Drought stress impacts Brassica crops at multiple levels, reducing germination rates, impairing physiological functions such as photosynthesis and water-use efficiency, and triggering oxidative stress due to the accumulation of reactive oxygen species. To counteract these effects, Brassica plants employ various adaptive mechanisms, including osmotic adjustment, antioxidant defense activation, and hormonal regulation. Recent research has explored molecular and physiological pathways involved in drought tolerance, revealing key physiological changes and biochemical markers that could be targeted for crop improvement. This review summarizes the latest findings on the physiological, biochemical, and molecular responses of Brassica crops to drought stress, with an emphasis on adaptive mechanisms and potential drought mitigation strategies. Additionally, future research directions are proposed, focusing on integrating molecular and agronomic approaches to enhance drought resilience in Brassica species.

Drought stress significantly constrains broccoli (Brassica oleracea L.) productivity by impairing growth, photosynthesis, and yield. Seed priming with ascorbic acid (AsA) has shown promise in enhancing early seedling performance; however, its effects on head development and yield under water deficit remain limited. This greenhouse pot experiment evaluated four seed treatments: non-primed control, water-primed control, 1 mg L⁻¹ AsA, and 10 mg L⁻¹ AsA under two irrigation regimes: 100% and 50% field capacity. Growth, physiological traits, biochemical responses, and yield were assessed. AsA priming significantly (p < 0.05) enhanced plant height, net photosynthesis, and chlorophyll content under both water regimes. Under 100% FC, water priming significantly increased canopy length, whereas under 50% FC, only AsA priming produced a significant increase relative to the non-primed control (p < 0.05). Biochemical responses further showed that 10 mg L⁻¹ AsA significantly (p < 0.05) increased chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b under 50% FC compared with the non-primed control. Proline accumulation was reduced by 10 mg L⁻¹ AsA, but this reduction was significant (p < 0.05) only under 100% FC. Under 100% FC, 10 mg L⁻¹ AsA significantly (p < 0.05) increased total phenolic content compared with the non-primed control. Total flavonoid content was significantly (p < 0.05) increased by 1 and 10 mg L⁻¹ AsA compared with the control, while both water priming and AsA priming significantly (p < 0.05) increased carotenoid content and reduced H₂O₂ accumulation relative to the non-primed control, irrespective of watering regime. Total yield per plant, measured on a fresh weight basis, significantly (p < 0.05) increased with increasing AsA concentration, with 10 mg L⁻¹ AsA enhancing yield by 37.8% relative to the water-primed control and by 70.5% relative to the non-primed control, independent of water regime. Percentage dry weight was unaffected by AsA treatment. Overall, AsA seed priming potentially enhanced physiological resilience and fresh yield of broccoli under water-limited conditions, indicating its potential as a low-cost strategy for drought mitigation.

Seed priming with ascorbic acid (AsA) has been widely recognized for enhancing early plant development; however, its effectiveness in improving growth, physiology, yield, and nutritional quality of broccoli under field conditions remains limited. This two-year field study evaluated the effects of AsA seed priming on broccoli under Atlantic Canada soil conditions using a randomized complete block design across two field sites. Four treatments were assessed: non-primed control, water-primed (0 mgL ^-1 ), and AsA-primed seeds at 1 mgL ^-1 and 10 mgL ^-1 . AsA priming significantly (p < 0.05) enhanced plant height, canopy length, stem girth, and leaf area, with the greatest improvements observed at 10 mgL ^-1 , resulting in increases of 17.4%, 19.7%, 51.7%, and 69.4%, respectively, compared to the control. Net photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, transpiration, and chlorophyll index, were also significantly improved (p < 0.001). Biochemical analysis showed significant increases (p < 0.05) in chlorophyll a and carotenoid content at 10 mgL ^-1 . Meanwhile phenolics, flavonoids, and most nutrients were not significantly affected (p ≥ 0.05), except for a slight but significant (p < 0.05) reduction in phosphorus concentration at 10 mgL ^-1 . Yield components were significantly (p < 0.05) improved by AsA priming, with 10 mgL ^-1 increasing primary yield by 38.4% and secondary yield by 80.4%, whereas 1 mgL ^-1 significantly (p < 0.05) increased the number of secondary heads per plant by 15.3% compared with the control. Overall, AsA seed priming enhanced growth, physiological performance, and yield without compromising nutritional quality, demonstrating its potential as a practical and sustainable approach to improve broccoli production under field conditions.