Surface charging by the cold plasma discharge of lentil and pepper seeds in comparison with polymers

Non-Thermal Plasma: A Promising Technology for the Germination Enhancement of Radish (Raphanus sativus) and Carrot (Daucus carota sativus L.)

Cold plasma is an innovative and promising technology that is developing in a variety of fields, and recently it has been getting a lot of attention in the agricultural industry. The influence of cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAPP) exposure on germination parameters and vigor of radish (Raphanus sativus) and carrot (Daucus carota sativus L.) seeds was investigated in the present study. A custom-designed plasma driver utilizing 11.32 kV rms and 50 Hz was used for the generation of the discharge. Seeds were treated using a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) in an argon atmosphere at exposure periods of 1–4 minutes. The estimate of plasma parameters was done using optical emission spectroscopy and electrical measurements. Germination-related measures such as the final germination percentage, germination index, germination value, coefficient of velocity of germination, vigor index, and chlorophyll content were all improved in the case of CAPP-treated seeds as compared to control seeds. Similarly, CAPP treatment changed the in vitro radical scavenging capabilities, total phenolic, and total flavonoid levels of the seedlings. Our results indicated that the seeds being treated by CAPP for 3 minutes seemed to have a favorable impact on seed germination and sprouting development.

Emerging cold plasma treatment and machine learning prospects for seed priming: a step towards sustainable food production

Seeds are vulnerable to physical and biological stresses during the germination process. Seed priming strategies can alleviate such stresses. Seed priming is a technique of treating and drying seeds prior to germination in order to accelerate the metabolic process of germination. Multiple benefits are offered by seed priming techniques, such as reducing fertilizer use, accelerating seed germination, and inducing systemic resistance in plants, which are both cost-effective and eco-friendly. For seed priming, cold plasma (CP)-mediated priming could be an innovative alternative to synthetic chemical treatments. CP priming is an eco-friendly, safe and economical, yet relatively less explored technique towards the development of seed priming. In this review, we discussed in detail the application of CP technology for seed priming to enhance germination, the quality of seeds, and the production of crops in a sustainable manner. Additionally, the combination treatment of CP with nanoparticle (NP) priming is also discussed. The large numbers of parameters need to be monitored and optimized during CP treatment to achieve the desired priming results. Here, we discussed a new perspective of machine learning for modeling plasma treatment parameters in agriculture for the development of synergistic protocols for different types of seed priming.

Cold plasma surface treatments to prevent biofilm formation in food industries and medical sectors

Environmental conditions in food and medical fields enable the bacteria to attach and grow on surfaces leading to resistant bacterial biofilm formation. Indeed, the first step in biofilm formation is the bacterial irreversible adhesion. Controlling and inhibiting this adhesion is a passive approach to fight against biofilm development. This strategy is an interesting path in the inhibition of biofilm formation since it targets the first step of biofilm development. Those pathogenic structures are responsible for several foodborne diseases and nosocomial infections. Therefore, to face this public health threat, researchers employed cold plasma technologies in coating development. In this review, the different factors influencing the bacterial adhesion to a substrate are outlined. The goal is to present the passive coating strategies aiming to prevent biofilm formation via cold plasma treatments, highlighting antiadhesive elaborated surfaces. General aspects of surface treatment, including physico-chemical modification and application of cold plasma technologies, were also presented. KEY POINTS: • Factors surrounding pathogenic bacteria influence biofilm development. • Controlling bacterial adhesion prevents biofilm formation. • Materials can be coated via cold plasma to inhibit bacterial adhesion.

Effects of Non-Thermal Plasma Treatment on Seed Germination and Early Growth of Leguminous Plants-A Review

The legumes (Fabaceae family) are the second most important agricultural crop, both in terms of harvested area and total production. They are an important source of vegetable proteins and oils for human consumption. Non-thermal plasma (NTP) treatment is a new and effective method in surface microbial inactivation and seed stimulation useable in the agricultural and food industries. This review summarizes current information about characteristics of legume seeds and adult plants after NTP treatment in relation to the seed germination and seedling initial growth, surface microbial decontamination, seed wettability and metabolic activity in different plant growth stages. The information about 19 plant species in relation to the NTP treatment is summarized. Some important plant species as soybean (Glycine max), bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), mung bean (Vigna radiata), black gram (V. mungo), pea (Pisum sativum), lentil (Lens culinaris), peanut (Arachis hypogaea), alfalfa (Medicago sativa), and chickpea (Cicer aruetinum) are discussed. Likevise, some less common plant species i.g. blue lupine (Lupinus angustifolius), Egyptian clover (Trifolium alexandrinum), fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum), and mimosa (Mimosa pudica, M. caesalpiniafolia) are mentioned too. Possible promising trends in the use of plasma as a seed pre-packaging technique, a reduction in phytotoxic diseases transmitted by seeds and the effect on reducing dormancy of hard seeds are also pointed out.

Investigation of the Impact of Cold Plasma Treatment on the Chemical Composition and Wettability of Medical Grade Polyvinylchloride

The impact of the Corona, dielectric barrier discharge, and low pressure radiofrequency air plasmas on the chemical composition and wettability of medical grade polyvinylchloride was investigated. Corona plasma treatment exerted the most pronounced increase in the hydrophilization of polyvinylchloride. The specific energy of adhesion of the pristine and plasma-treated Polyvinylchloride (PVC) tubing is reported. Plasma treatment increased markedly the specific free surface energy of PVC. The kinetics of hydrophobic recovery following plasma treatment was explored. The time evolution of the apparent contact angle under the hydrophobic recovery is satisfactorily described by the exponential fitting. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy of the chemical composition of the near-surface layers of the plasma-treated catheters revealed their oxidation. The effect of the hydrophobic recovery hardly correlated with oxidation of the polymer surface, which is irreversible and it is reasonably attributed to the bulk mobility of polymer chains.