Changes in Norway spruce germination and growth induced by pre‐sowing seed treatment with cold plasma and electromagnetic field: Short‐term versus long‐term effects

Abstract

The effects of Norway spruce (Picea abies) seed treatment with cold plasma (CP), vacuum, and electromagnetic field (EMF) on germination and seedling growth are studied. CP treatments negatively affected germination ‘in vitro’, but for germination in cassettes CP (7 min) and EMF (5 min) significantly increased the germination yield. All treatments increase the germination rate in cassettes except CP (7 min) treatment having a negative effect. Seed treatment with CP and EMF increases the number of paramagnetic centers in dry seeds and modulate H2O2 production in germinating seeds. After the second vegetation season seedlings grown from CP (5 min) and CP (7 min) treated seeds, characterized by negative effects on either the germination rate or yield, have 50–60% larger height and 40–50% increased branching in comparison to the control seedlings.

Cold plasma treatment for cotton seed germination improvement

“…Interestingly, a recent study demonstrated that positive cold plasma treatment effects can be observed for up to 17 months post treatment. It was shown that despite an initial negative effect (reduction in germination), seedling height and branching increased by up to 60% after 17 months in Norway spruce 34 .…”

Treatment of Common Sunflower (Helianthus annus L.) Seeds with Radio-frequency Electromagnetic Field and Cold Plasma Induces Changes in Seed Phytohormone Balance, Seedling Development and Leaf Protein Expression

“…The majority of studies in this area are focused on assessment of CP and EMF effects on physiological (germination), structural (changes in seed coat surface) and morphometric (early seedling growth) estimates (reviewed by 3–5 ). A few reports have also considered changes in biochemical characteristics, such as amount of pigments and secondary metabolites, enzymatic activities or antioxidative capacity 6–12 . Stressor-induced changes in physiological or biochemical activities are associated with selective modulation of protein expression in the growing seedling, e.g., activation of photosynthesis is expected to be related to changes in the leaf proteome 13,14 .…”

Effects of plasma activated water on wheat: Germination, growth parameters, photosynthetic pigments, soluble protein content, and antioxidant enzymes activity

“…When using the plasma, it is very important to know and optimize the plasma exposure/activation time. Short exposures may induce weak effects, while long exposures may result in inhibition and can negatively affect the seed germination and development of the plants …”

“…Short exposures may induce weak effects, while long exposures may result in inhibition and can negatively affect the seed germination and development of the plants. [15,[29][30][31] The indirect plasma treatment/activation of seeds and plants by the CP, that is, the effect of plasma activated gas or plasma activated water (PAW) is far less studied than the direct plasma effect even though it can also enhance seed germination and plant growth. The PAW can be generated by operating electric discharges directly in water [32,33] but more often in gas in a contact with water, [34] usually above the water surface, for example, gliding arc, [35][36][37] glow discharge, [38] dielectric barrier discharge, [39][40][41][42] or plasma jets.…”