An integrated artificial intelligence and nano-bio-stimulant seed coating system enhances seed germination and seedling growth under drought stress

Abstract Climate change intensifies abiotic stresses such as drought and salinity during seed germination, threatening global food security. While nano-bio-stimulant coatings and artificial intelligence for vigor diagnosis have emerged as promising tools, their integration into a single, AI-guided workflow remains unexplored. Here, we present a seed enhancement platform combining AI-based predictive phenotyping with nano-bio-stimulant technology. A hybrid Vision Transformer-Deep learning model trained on hyperspectral images (400–1000 nm) of 12,000 seeds (with 4,000 additional seeds reserved for independent external validation) achieved an AUC-ROC of 0.993 on the validation set. High-vigor seeds were coated with a multi-layer formulation: a synthetic microbial community (SynCom) of Pseudomonas fluorescens and Bacillus subtilis, overlaid with chitosan nanoparticles infused with L-amino acids and ascorbic acid. Under drought stress, the AI-Selected + Coated group achieved 95% germination and 58% increase in seedling biomass (P = 0.0003), significantly outperforming controls. Biochemical assays confirmed enhanced antioxidant enzyme activity and osmolyte accumulation, indicating priming of stress-responsive pathways. This study demonstrates that merging digital intelligence and nano-biotechnology creates a synergistic proof-of-concept for precision seed enhancement in climate-resilient agriculture.