Degradation in aluminium and copper foil electrodes in surface dielectric barrier discharges (sDBDs), operating in ambient air, is studied using various microscopic methods. It is determined that difference in the oxidation dynamics for these two materials lead to different morphology of the exposed electrode edge. The structure of the exposed electrode, in its turn, affects the dynamics of the microdischarges and the main integral electrical characteristics of the sDBD: power input, charge amplitude, shape of the charge−voltage cycle plot.

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Lazukin A., Serdukov Y., Pinchuk M., Stepanova O., Krivov S., Syubushkina I. (2018): Treatment of spring wheat seeds by ozone generated from humid air and dry oxygen. Res. Agr. Eng., 64: 34-40.The paper presents an analysis based on conflicting data regarding the results of the treatment of soft spring wheat seeds by ozone generated from humid air and dry oxygen. Morphological characteristics of treated seeds (the length of a sprout, the total length of roots and the sprout-to-root ratio), 7-day germination ability along with the extent of 7-day-old seedlings contamination are considered in terms of ozone concentrations. The experiments were conducted using the wheat seeds of 2013 and 2014 yields. For the same concentrations of ozone, morphological characteristics of treated seeds and efficiency of seed surface treatment changed similarly for both ways of ozone production. However, the efficiency of seeds treatment and stimulation of seeds germination with ozone are not correlated; and the germination ability of the seeds is not changed after ozone treatment.

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In this work an effect of the 10-min pre-sowing treatment by the constant electric field with the 3 kV cm−1 electric field strength on the soft spring wheat seed germination is studied at various positions of the seeds in a plane-parallel electrode system. The effects of the electric field direction and contact conditions of the seeds with a plane aluminum electrode (no contact, when the seeds lie on the isolating plate; contact with the positive or negative high-voltage or grounded electrode) are compared. The treatment response is estimated by the morphological characteristics of 3-day seedlings—germination, the shoot length and the length of individual roots. At all modes, the treatment does not change seed germination. At each considered variant of seed location, the electric field effect did not reduce the average length of the root system and the shoot length below the ones at the control variant. The significant increase of morphological characteristics is achieved at the seed contact with the high voltage electrode.