Biological seed treatments promote crop establishment and yield: a global meta-analysis

Seeds are a vector of genetic progress and, as such, they play a significant role in the sustainability of the agri-food system. The current global seed market is worth USD 60 billion that is expected to reach USD 80 billion by 2025. Seeds are most often treated before their planting with both chemical and biological agents/products to secure good seed quality and high yield by reducing or preventing losses caused by diseases. There is increasing interest in biological seed treatments as alternatives to chemical seed treatments as the latter have several negative human health and environmental impacts. However, no study has yet quantified the effectiveness of biological seed treatments to enhance crop performance and yield. Our meta-analysis encompassing 396 studies worldwide reveals for the first time that biological seed treatments significantly improve seed germination (7±6%), seedling emergence (91±5%), plant biomass (53±5%), disease control (55±1%), and crop yield (21±2%) compared to untreated seeds across contrasted crop groups, target pathogens, climatic regions, and experimental conditions. We conclude that biological seed treatments may represent a sustainable solution to feed the increasing global populations while avoiding negative effects on human health and ensuring environmental sustainability.