Abstract
<title>Abstract</title> <p>Ultrasound-assisted seed priming has emerged as an effective strategy for improving germination; however, the physical mechanisms governing ultrasound–seed interactions and their implications for process sustainability remain insufficiently understood. This study presents an integrated thermo-acoustic–experimental framework for ultrasound-assisted germination of Lens culinaris, combining finite element multiphysics simulations, biological validation, and a resource-based sustainability assessment. The thermo--acoustic framework predicted the spatial distribution of acoustic pressure and temperature within the ultrasonic bath, identifying localized regions of high acoustic intensity while confirming that seed temperatures remained below the threshold associated with thermal damage. Guided by these predictions, germination experiments involving ultrasound exposure times ranging from 5 to 30 min demonstrated consistently high germination rates (96–99%), increased mean seedling length from 16 to 46 mm, and up to a 2.9-fold increase in vigor index relative to untreated seeds. Short sonication promoted faster and more synchronized germination, whereas longer treatments enhanced post-germinative growth and seedling vigor. To quantitatively assess process sustainability, conventional germination parameters were integrated with resource-based indicators, including vigor productivity per unit energy VPE, vigor productivity per unit water VPW, seedling length efficiency SLE, and an integrated sustainability index ISI. These indices revealed that the biological gains substantially outweighed the negligible increase in ultrasound energy consumption, demonstrating that there is higher biological productivity per unit resource input. By coupling physics-based modeling with biological performance and sustainability metrics, this work provides a predictive framework for optimizing ultrasound-assisted seed priming and establishes quantitative indicators for evaluating resource-efficient germination technologies.</p>