Priming of seeds is generally intended to reduce time to
germination, often leading to improved emergence.
However, as a negative side effect, priming reduces
longevity of seeds. We studied the possibilities to obtain
primed seeds with reduced time to germination but with
longevity similar to that of untreated seeds. For several
species tested we found that the desired longevity could
be obtained by keeping the seeds, after a priming
treatment, under a mild water and / or temperature stress
for a period of several hours to days. Time to germination
did not increase again due to such a treatment. Optimal
duration and degree of water stress were strongly
temperature dependent. The methods applied to obtain
primed seeds without loss of longevity are very similar to
those used to induce desiccation tolerance in germinated
seeds.