Abstract / Summary
Climate-related stresses increasingly impair seed germination and early crop establishment, creating a demand for seed-stimulation technologies that can improve seedling resilience. Cold plasma is a physical seed-priming approach that modifies seed-surface properties and stimulates physiological responses without requiring bulk hydration. This structured critical review evaluates evidence for effects on germination, seed vigor, responses to drought, salinity and temperature stress, and agronomic performance across agricultural and horticultural crops. A structured Web of Science Core Collection search retrieved 68 records; a full-text assessment and backward citation searching produced an evidence inventory of 143 primary-study entries. Direct dry-seed plasma treatments formed the core evidence, whereas plasma-activated water, indirect treatments, and combined protocols were interpreted separately. Frequently recurring responses included faster or more synchronous germination, altered wettability, improved early root development, and changes in redox and hormone signaling. However, responses depended strongly on the reactor configuration, treatment intensity, cultivar, seed lot, and stress severity. Exposure time alone was not a transferable dose descriptor, and surface functionalization did not reliably predict the biological benefit. Controlled stress experiments were encouraging but condition-specific, whereas field and large-scale validation remained sparse. Practical application will require standardized reactor–seed dose reporting, storage and throughput assessment, and replicated multi-cultivar, multi-environment field testing under climate-relevant stress scenarios. By distinguishing recurring responses from outcomes that remain conditional or insufficiently validated, this review provides a practical basis for designing more reproducible plasma seed treatments and prioritizing their validation under climate-relevant field conditions.