## 3 Results and Discussion
The identification and cultivation of salt-tolerant tomato varieties is essential for sustainable agriculture in salt-affected regions. This can be achieved through genetic breeding, seed priming techniques, and the use of biostimulants or treatments like PEF to enhance the seed vigor and resilience [24; 28; 29]. Under the 100 mM NaCl salt stress, the germination rate of both untreated and PEF-treated tomato seeds steadily increased from day 7 to day 12, regardless of the applied energy level. In control seeds, the germination progressed from 0.00 \(\pm\) 0.00% on day 7 to 30.00 \(\pm\) 0.60% on day 12. Among the treated groups, the earliest notable germination (23.33 \(\pm\) 0.60%) was observed on day 7 at 1.07 J. The highest overall germination rate (62.00 \(\pm\) 0.90%) by day 12 was achieved at 17.28 J, followed closely by 6.48 J (61.00 \(\pm\) 0.46%) and 1.07 J (60.30 \(\pm\) 1.90%). Energy levels between 1.07 J and 17.28 J generally produced \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c} \hline \hline
**Energy (J)** & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Cold Test (\% Germination)**} \\ \hline  & **10 \({}^{\circ}\)C 7 Days** & **24 \({}^{\circ}\)C 5 Days** \\ \hline  
d}}\) \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular} Note 1: Data in the same column with different superscript letters are significantly different (\(p\leq\) 0.05). Note 2: The data is presented as the mean \(\pm\) standard deviation.  
\end{table} 
Table 4: The germination rate (%) of the control and the PEF-treated tomato seeds under the cold stress. superior germination performances compared to the control, particularly from day 10 onward. Statistically significant improvements (\(p\leq 0.05\)) in germination were observed at 1.07, 1.36, 1.92, 3.21, 4.08, 5.35, 5.76, 6.48, 10.88, 15.36, and 17.28 J treatments by day 12. These results suggest that moderate- to high-energy PEF treatments can effectively mitigate the salt-stress-induced germination inhibition in tomato seeds (Table 6). Under the 200 mM NaCl salt stress, the germination of untreated tomato seeds remained limited, increasing only from 0.00 \(\pm\) 0.00% on day 7 to 13.30 \(\pm\) 0.00% by day 12. In  
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c} \hline \hline \multicolumn{6}{c}{**Germination Rate (\%) Under 100 mM NaCl Salt Stress**} \\ \hline
**Energy (J)** & **7 Days** & **8 Days** & **9 Days** & **10 Days** & **11 Days** & **12 Days** \\ \hline
0.00 & 0.00 \(\pm\) 0.00 \({}^{\rm\delta E}\) & 13.30 \(\pm\) 0.00 \({  
contrast, the PEF treatment enhanced the germination across various energy levels, with the earliest notable germination on day 7 observed at 3.21 J (3.30 \(\pm\) 0.40%). By day 12, the highest germination rate (53.03 \(\pm\) 0.00%) was recorded at 10.80 J, followed by 17.28 J (50.00 \(\pm\) 0.60%) and 15.36 J (43.30 \(\pm\) 0.00%). Energy levels between 3.21 J and 17.28 J were particularly effective in improving the germination under high salt stress. Treatments at 1.07, 1.36, 1.92, 2.16, 3.21, 4.08, 6.48, 6.80, 8.55, 9.60, 10.80, 15.36, and 17.28 J yielded significantly higher germination rates than the control by day 12 (\(p\leq 0.05\)), suggesting that PEFs can alleviate the salt-induced germination inhibition in tomato seeds at moderate- to high-energy applications (Table 7). The presence of a high number of total bacteria on tomato seeds may indicate contamination that could negatively impact seed health. Some bacteria can cause seed rot, reduce germination rates, or even transmit seed-borne diseases, which may affect young seedlings and lower the overall crop yield. Fungal contamination, particularly by molds and yeasts, can damage seeds by colonizing their surfaces, leading to decay or reduced seedling vigor. Fungal infections may weaken the seed coat, resulting in improper or delayed germination. Elevated levels of mold and yeast can also create an inhospitable environment for seed growth by consuming nutrients or producing toxic metabolites that inhibit sprouting [30].