Dear Alex,

I am not expert on these plants but as I have worked on other plants with similar question I may suggest you to consider some points;

Using "viability' instead of "germination energy" seems more better because as you know when the orthodox seeds like wheat and barley are dried, all the metabolism activity freezes in a unique kind of life extension termed as Cryptobiotic ; Therefore in seeds, no energy is expected to be consumed in this state. What caused the decline in viability is the accumulative damage from surrounding environment (Humidity, Temperature, Oxygen content).

For example keeping the moisture in proper level (roughly between 10 to 12 percent in cereal grains) is the most Important factor. Usually if the moisture is kept in this range the water activity remains far below than is needed by fungi to start colonizing the seed (roughly between .85 to .89). When the water activity goes higher the fungi can germinate and colonize the seed which means that they enter inside seed tissue and damage the seed integrity and sometimes they create mycotoxins as well. In the mean time increase of water activity promotes the decay process which is considered physical and in some literature is termed as glass-rubber transition reactions. These together reduce the integrity of cell outer and inner membranes which is the most important factor reducing the seed viability.

You mentioned that bacteria are found that necessitates a water activity roughly above .95 to be available to them. Possibly this means that several folds of bacterial contaminated seeds are previously contaminated with fungi that require a far less water activity. This means that there could be a basic problems in storage facilities.

One on the most Important factors that in my view is neglected todays is the drying procedure. Using mechanized dryers which reduce the humidity in a relatively short time could be an important damaging factor to membrane integrity of seeds nowadays. regarding use of hormones we have to consider that if the seed is dried out completely so it would be in cryptobiotic condition, therefore we couldn't expect any response to hormones in this situation. If there is any response possibly means that the seed is not in a proper dryness condition.

I suggest to check my article below in which some aspects are covered;

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/230717250_A_New_Approach_to_Postharvest_Nut_Storage_for_Quality_Could_Seed_Storage_Principles_Be_Applied_for_Commercial_Nut_Storage/file/d912f5072e49c748aa.doc?origin=publication_detail

hope that helps

Article A New Approach to Postharvest Nut Storage for Quality: Could...

it is still unclear which species cause the loss of germination rate but we have got barley genotype tolerant to such problem - it has different hormone level, resistant to leaf streak caused by bacteria and very bushy plant - form up to 30 stems in favorable conditions.  

One of the first reports about bio-herbicidal for wheat pseudomonads at 1985 described a positive effect of methionine treatment (J. K. FREDRICKSON and L. F. ELLIOTT Effects on winter wheat seedling growth by toxin-producing rhizobacteria. Plant and Soil 83,399-409 (1985)). Some colleagues have got the same result by empirical testing of different amino acids and patented it at 2009. Is methionine applied for cereals treatment to increase germination energy?

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