Non-thermal plasma modified growth and physiology in Triticum aestivum via generated signaling molecules and UV radiation

Abstract

The current research was carried out to reveal the possible impacts of cold plasma on growth and physiology of wheat, as a new approach in plant science. Short and long-term impacts of different types of plasma (nitrogen and helium) with surface power density of 0.4 W cm-2 , exposure times (15, 30, 60, and 120 s), and repetitions (1, 2, and 4 times with 24 h intervals) were evaluated. Single-time applied helium or nitrogen derived plasma significantly promoted total root and shoot lengths, in contrast to four times application, and the root system was more sensitive than the shoot one. In addition, seedlings were more sensitive to nitrogen derived plasma, compared with helium. The physiological responses to plasma treatment were analyzed via protein assay and peroxidase or phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) activities measurements. Plasma generated signaling molecules, especially ozone, nitric oxide, and/or UV radiation induced promotions in the peroxidase and PAL activities as well as increase in protein content in leaves, especially when times and/or repetitions increased. Plants were perished by the nitrogen derived plasma at the highest exposure time and number of repetitions. However, the seedlings with inhibited growth not only caught up control one month after, but even the growth rate and biomass accumulation in the shoot and leaves were accelerated. Increased leaf soluble phenol content was recorded in plasma treated seedlings, especially at longer times and more repetitions.

Seed priming with cold plasma improved seedling performance, secondary metabolism, and expression of deacetylvindoline O‐acetyltransferase gene in Catharanthus roseus

“…In this study, both positive and inhibitory responses associated with the plasma priming in C. roseus are presented. In line with our findings, numerous reports are exhibiting the growth‐stimulating function of plasma priming in diverse plant species, while little evidence exists on growth‐inhibitory or delaying response following plasma application . Taking the plasma diagnostic data into account, we recently reported that the optical emission spectroscopy‐based spectrum confirmed the generation of oxygen‐ and nitrogen‐related species, as well as UV photons during the plasma generation .…”

“…In radish, the application of plasma‐activated water and seed treatment led to a significant improvement in seed germination, and the plant's early growth was attributed to the plasma‐modified chemical composition, especially nitric oxide and hydrogen peroxide in water . In good agreement with our results, it has been stated that plasma time should be optimized depending on plant species …”

“…Furthermore, the plasma application induced peroxidase and catalase activities (two major antioxidant enzymes) that are involved in the plant defence system. Plasma‐mediated induction in antioxidant machinery has been reported in several plant species, such as Oryza sativa , Triticum aestivum , A. fridae , and Melissa officinalis . Besides, seed priming with plasma caused modifications in the soluble phenols, PAL, alkaloids, and expression pattern of the DAT gene (four indices related to secondary metabolism).…”

Emerging Plasma Technology That Alleviates Crop Stress During the Early Growth Stages of Plants: A Review

“…There is little or no information for establishing crop stress management practices using plasma technology. To our knowledge, there are only a few studies under laboratory conditions on crop tolerance to disease (Jiang et al, 2014b;Ochi et al, 2017), drought (Li et al, 2015;Guo et al, 2017;Feng et al, 2018), salinity (Iranbakhsh et al, 2018), and oxidative stress (Bußler et al, 2015;Iranbakhsh et al, 2017) using plasma technology. Therefore, further studies are needed to optimize the effectiveness of plasma treatment on crop tolerance to a broad range of stressors.…”

The Potential of Cold Plasma for Safe and Sustainable Food Production

“…The response of seeds to plasma treatment was shown to depend on plasma gas composition: apparent (wheat) seed growth inhibition symptoms occurred in samples exposed to nitrogen plasma than in samples exposed to helium plasma, attributed to the higher NO content [14].…”