Enhancement of seed germination and microbial disinfection on ginseng by cold plasma treatment

Abstract

Background This study aimed to investigate the effect of cold plasma treatment on the improvement of seed germination and surface sterilization of ginseng seeds. Methods Dehisced ginseng ( Panax ginseng ) seeds were exposed to dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma operated in argon (Ar) or an argon/oxygen mixture (Ar/O 2 ), and the resulting germination and surface sterilization were compared with those of an untreated control group. Bacterial and fungal detection assays were performed for plasma-treated ginseng seeds after serial dilution of surface-washed suspensions. The microbial colonies (fungi and bacteria) were classified according to their phenotypical morphologies and identified by molecular analysis. Furthermore, the effect of cold plasma treatment on the in vitro antifungal activity and suppression of Cylindrocarpon destructans in 4-year-old ginseng root discs was investigated. Results Seeds treated with plasma in Ar or Ar/O 2 exhibited a higher germination rate (%) compared with the untreated controls. Furthermore, the plasma treatment exhibited bactericidal and fungicidal effects on the seed surface, and the latter effect was stronger than the former. In addition, plasma treatment exhibited in vitro antifungal activity against C. destructans and reduced the disease severity (%) of root rot in 4-year-old ginseng root discs. The results demonstrate the stimulatory effect of plasma treatment on seed germination, surface sterilization, and root rot disease suppression in ginseng. Conclusion The results of this study indicate that the cold plasma treatment can suppress the microbial community on the seed surface root rot in ginseng.

Development of Cold Plasma Technologies for Surface Decontamination of Seed Fungal Pathogens: Present Status and Perspectives

“…In a recently published work, the effect of AP DBD CP of argon and argon/oxygen mixture on decontamination of ginsengs seeds was studied [ 89 ]. With the mixture, better fungicidal effects were achieved than with pure argon gas.…”

Air to H2-N2 Pulse Plasma Jet for In-Vitro Plant Tissue Culture Process: Source Characteristics

“…This opens up a broad spectrum of plasma applications, which can be divided into two aspects based on treatment procedures: direct and indirect treatments. First, the direct treatment allows cocktails of free electron, neutral and charged species, electric field, UV irradiation, short-lived and long-lived chemical species to reach and modify the target, for example, sterilization of medical devices [ 2 ], decontamination of SARS Covid-19 virus on surfaces [ 3 ], modification on polymer surfaces [ 4 ] and bacteria inactivation of plant seeds [ 5 ]. On the other hand, the indirect treatment is when plasma is first applied to a medium, which is then called the plasma-activated medium (PAM), before it is later applied to the sample.…”

Impact of Plasma-Activated Water (PAW) on Seed Germination of Soybean

“…In the context of climate change, crops worldwide are facing diverse environmental stresses. To overcome such challenges, plasma technologies can play an important role in early seedling growth through sterilization and preservation of seeds and fruits, improving seed germination and reducing pathogens in soil [6][7][8][9][10][11][12].…”