Enhancement of Seed Germination Rate and Growth of Maize (Zea mays L.) Through LPDBD Ar/Air Plasma

Germination and Growth of Plasma-Treated Maize Seeds Planted in Fields and Exposed to Realistic Environmental Conditions

“…Several authors have determined plasma-mediated improvement of the maize germination rate in laboratory conditions [ 5 , 6 , 8 , 9 ]. If conducted according to the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) standards, results of laboratory germination tests typically correlate well with field emergence [ 14 ].…”

“…A remarkable approach, popular in the last decade, is the use of non-equilibrium gaseous plasma to treat crop seeds before planting to improve an array of germination and growth characteristics and ultimately increase yield [ 4 ]. Maize has been a popular subject of plasma agriculture publications, which have examined various aspects of plasma application to crop seeds, including decontamination of fungi, germination and growth improvement, and effects on various biochemical parameters [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]. As with other agricultural seeds, various authors have explained the potential benefits of these findings in agricultural settings.…”

“…As with other agricultural seeds, various authors have explained the potential benefits of these findings in agricultural settings. Some publications have theorized that particular changes to biochemical parameters, such as the recorded modifications of H 2 O 2 and NO signalling in roots, have the potential for yield improvement [ 8 ]. Our hypothesis was, however, that plasma treatment would enhance the yield and germination of maize seeds.…”

Catabolism of Glucosinolates into Nitriles Revealed by RNA Sequencing of Arabidopsis thaliana Seedlings after Non-Thermal Plasma-Seed Treatment

“…Novel information concerning the mechanisms can be discovered by analyzing changes in gene expression, methylation patterns, or protein expression in plants grown from plasma-treated seeds using high throughput methods [8][9][10][11]. Among these methods, studies have mostly resorted to using a quantitative PCR (qPCR) to measure the expression of specific genes of interest, and more recently micro-arrays or RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), although the latter is currently limited [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31].…”