•Seed priming can reduce the effects of cellular stresses experienced during both abiotic, and biotic stress events.•Modulation of genetic expression profiles relating to improved growth, quality and yield of crops can be observed after seed priming.•Priming can increase the germination rate of seeds through stimulation of DNA repair mechanisms and through triggering pre-germination metabolism.•Seed priming can greatly improve antioxidant enzyme activity and alleviate oxidative stress.•Pre-treatment of seeds using priming techniques has been shown to enhance overall plant physiology. Food security is one of the most important challenges worldwide and will become even more challenging with increasing impacts of climate change. Developing ways of increasing the production of horticultural crops in a sustainable manner is an essential goal for researchers. Seed priming is a pre-sowing hydration technique which leads to a physiological condition triggering germination and enhancing uniform seedling emergence. Moreover, seed priming is implicated in improving a diverse range of morpho-physiological, biochemical and molecular responses in plants. Abiotic and biotic stress tolerance of seedlings is also associated with seed priming. This work summarizes current literature related to seed priming in the field of horticulture, and specifically the impact of seed priming on inducing resistance to major abiotic and biotic stresses. It identifies major gaps in technology which should be addressed in future studies.