The Effect of Plasma Activated Water on Maize (Zea mays L.) under Arsenic Stress

Abstract

Plasma activated water (PAW) is a source of various chemical species useful for plant growth, development, and stress response. In the present study, PAW was generated by a transient spark discharge (TS) operated in ambient air and used on maize corns and seedlings in the 3 day paper rolls cultivation followed by 10 day hydroponics cultivation. For 3 day cultivation, two pre-treatments were established, “priming PAW” and “rolls PAW”, with corns imbibed for 6 h in the PAW and then watered daily by fresh water and PAW, respectively. The roots and the shoot were then analyzed for guaiacol peroxidase (G-POX, POX) activity, root tissues for their lignification, and root cell walls for in situ POX activity. To evaluate the potential of PAW in the alleviation abiotic stress, ten randomly selected seedlings were hydroponically cultivated for the following 10 days in 0.5 Hoagland nutrient solutions with and without 150 μM As. The seedlings were then analyzed for POX and catalase (CAT) activities after As treatment, their leaves for photosynthetic pigments concentration, and leaves and roots for As concentration. The PAW improved the growth of the 3 day-old seedlings in terms of the root and the shoot length, while roots revealed accelerated endodermal development. After the following 10 day cultivation, roots from PAW pre-treatment were shorter and thinner but more branched than the control roots. The PAW also enhanced the POX activity immediately after the imbibition and in the 3 day old roots. After 10 day hydroponic cultivation, antioxidant response depended on the PAW pre-treatment. CAT activity was higher in As treatments compared to the corresponding PAW treatments, while POX activity was not obvious, and its elevated activity was found only in the priming PAW treatment. The PAW pre-treatment protected chlorophylls in the following treatments combined with As, while carotenoids increased in treatments despite PAW pre-treatment. Finally, the accumulation of As in the roots was not affected by PAW pre-treatment but increased in the leaves.

The role of metals in the deposition of long‐lived reactive oxygen and nitrogen species into the plasma‐activated liquids

“…Further on, Gierczik et al [ 12 ] studying the effect of PAW on the seeds germination and plants growth under stress conditions have found that the PAW, which contains significant $${{\rm{H}}}_{2}{{\rm{O}}}_{2}$$ besides nitrate and nitrite, improves the germination of barley under stress conditions and the stress tolerance of plants. Similar effects have been observed by Lukacova et al [ 20 ] in the case of maize under arsenic stress. The combined positive effect of $${{\rm{H}}}_{2}{{\rm{O}}}_{2}$$, nitrate and nitrite on plant growth has also been shown by Yemeli et al [ 21 ] in the case of maize and barley, while Laurita et al [ 22 ] have found that PAW enhances the defense mechanisms in grapevine plants and increases the plant fitness.…”

Effects of High Voltage Electrical Discharge (HVED) on Endogenous Hormone and Polyphenol Profile in Wheat

“…The exposure of seeds to HVED causes seed surface modification which shortens the imbibition time and increases wettability leading to faster oxygen diffusion into the embryo [ 15 ]. HVED treatment creates plasma-activated water (PAW) rich in ROS and RNS particles which can also affect germination [ 48 ]. Moreover, the PAW creates a higher amount of hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) and nitric oxides (NO), longer half-life molecules which may alter the phytohormone balance in the seeds and promote germination [ 49 ].…”

Formulation-based antagonistic endophyte Amycolatopsis sp. SND-1 triggers defense response in Vigna radiata (L.) R. Wilczek. (Mung bean) against Cercospora leaf spot disease

“…Then the germination paper towels were placed in Bio-Oxygen Demand (BOD) incubator at 24 ℃ for 7 days. After the incubation, the seed germination and vigor index were calculated by using the following formula (Lukacova et al 2021).…”