ENHANCING SEED QUALITY BY MAGNETIC SEED TREATMENT: REVIEW

Seed quality is an important factor for crop production. It ensures high yield, enhanced plant health, and efficient resource utilization. One of the promising seed quality enhancement techniques is magnetic seed treatment. This technique involves exposing the seeds to magnetic field. It improves physical, genetic, and biochemical qualities of seeds and enhances seed performance, particularly during the critical period from sowing to seedling establishment, when the seed is vulnerable to stresses such as pathogens, insects, water, light, and temperature fluctuations. Magnetically treated seeds exhibited better germination rates, increased seedling height, and greater fresh and dry weights than untreated seeds. This treatment helps seeds to absorb water more efficiently and activates important enzymes, such as α-amylase, which helps to break down stored nutrients in the seed, providing energy for the growing plant. Additionally, it promotes the production of nitric oxide, a compound that helps plants handle stress, and can alter the expression of genes associated with seed germination and stress tolerance.