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.

种子是遗传进步的载体，因此，它们在农业食品系统的可持续性中发挥着重要作用。当前的全球种子市场价值 600 亿美元，预计到 2025 年将达到 800 亿美元。种子在播种前通常使用化学和生物制剂/产品进行处理，以通过减少或防止损失来确保良好的种子质量和高产疾病引起的。人们对生物种子处理作为化学种子处理的替代品越来越感兴趣，因为后者对人类健​​康和环境有一些负面影响。然而，还没有研究量化生物种子处理提高作物性能和产量的有效性。我们涵盖全球 396 项研究的荟萃分析首次揭示生物种子处理显着改善种子发芽 (7±6%)、出苗 (91±5%)、植物生物量 (53±5%)、疾病控制 (55 ±1%) 和作物产量 (21±2%) 与对比作物组、目标病原体、气候区域和实验条件的未处理种子相比。我们得出结论，生物种子处理可能代表了一种可持续的解决方案，可以养活不断增长的全球人口，同时避免对人类健康的负面影响并确保环境的可持续性。