The Effect of Low-Pressure Dielectric Barrier Discharge (LPDBD) Plasma in Boosting Germination, Growth, and Nutritional Properties in Wheat

• DOI: 10.1007/s11090-021-10217-z
• Publication Date: 2021-11-18T14:02:48Z
• Authors: Mahedi Hasan; Md. Sohanur Rahma...; Salek Ahmed Sajib; Md. Forhad Hossain; Masum Miah; Md. Mahmudul Hasa...; Khandaker Md. Kha...; Ahmad Humayun Kabir; Mamunur Rashid Ta...; Md. Mamunur Rashid; Md. Moinuddin; Mona M. Elseehy; Ahmed M. El-Shehawi; Md Abu Reza
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging; Dielectric; Germination; Dielectric barrier discharge; Non-Thermal Plasma; Horticulture; Quantum mechanics; Food science; Plasma; 03 medical and health sciences; Engineering; Electrohydrodynamic Jet Printing and Nanoparticle Encapsulation; Health Sciences; FOS: Electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering; Electrical and Electronic Engineering; Optoelectronics; Biology; 2. Zero hunger; 0303 health sciences; Applications of Plasma in Medicine and Biology; Physics; Agronomy; Materials science; Chemistry; Physical Sciences; Medicine; Animal science

Abstract Plasma agriculture is an emerging technology, although the application of non-thermal plasma in wheat productivity is still in its early stage. This study deciphers the effect and mechanistic basis of non-thermal air-generated LPDBD (low-pressure dielectric barrier discharge) plasma in boosting germination, growth and nutritional properties in wheat. Seeds treated with LPDBD plasma exhibited cracked periphery and 6 min treatment showed a 22.11% increase in the germination rate compared to non-treated controls. At the cellular level, the concentration of H2O2 in leaves significantly increased (3.56 µM g-1FW) due to LPDBD plasma treatment, may act as a stimulating agent to trigger the physiological functions in wheat plants. In addition, plants sprouted from air-treated seeds exhibited a marked elevation in CAT and SOD activity accompanied by the increased expression of TaCAT and TaSOD genes in roots of wheat. Interestingly, the grain yield of wheat increased by 27.06% in response to plasma treatment compared to control. Further, grains harvested from plasma-treated plants showed a substantial elevation in iron and fat content as well as decreased moisture content that may contribute to the increased shelf life. The study will open up a new avenue for practical application of plasma in agriculture.