Emerging technology applications for improving seed germination

Food security is an important alarming issue across the globe and seed is an important structure to maintain the production capacity of plants. With the fast development of urbanization and globalization, the prevailing way to secure food is to adopt new technologies that improve grain yield and germination rate by maintaining the crop quality. The novel technology had been effectively used in many food processing operations such as gelation, extraction, coagulation, surface modification, emulsification, disinfection etc from earlier times. However, it has been also successfully employed as an efficient technique for breaking dormancy and improving the germination characteristics of seeds. In this review, we aimed to study the effects of well known novel technologies such as high pressure processing, pulsed electric field, ultrasound, ozone processing, ultraviolet, magnetic field, microwave radiation, non-thermal plasma, electrolyzed oxidizing water, and plasma activated water on germination and growth characteristics of different species of seeds. The reasons for the constructive and destructive impact of these technologies on germination rate had also been discussed. As an outcome of this review, of the discussed technologies all, have proven to show enhancement in germination and growth rate. Due to the diversity and complexity of seeds along with the differences in features of these emerging technologies, the quality of seed and the operating conditions are the key elements to be focused to increase efficiency in germination yield. •Germination rate and growth characteristics are enhanced by the application of emerging technologies.•Ultrasound, UV, non-thermal plasma treatment enhanced germination significantly by surface modification of treated seeds.•Influence of emerging technologies and their mode of action for seed germination are discussed.