Compact solar-powered plasma water generator: enhanced germination of aged seed with the corona dielectric barrier discharger

Highlights

	● Developed a novel solar-powered corona dielectric barrier discharge (cDBD) microreactor for sustainable agriculture.
	● cDBD microreactor lowers pH and elevates oxidation-reduction potential, nitrite, and nitrate concentrations in plasma-activated water (PAW).
	● PAW treatment doubled spinach seedling growth and increased germination rates by up to 135%.
	● PAW modulates germination-related hormones to enhance aged-seed rejuvenation and growth.

Abstract

Seed aging adversely affects agricultural productivity by reducing germination rates and seedling vigor, leading to significant costs for seed banks and companies due to the need for frequent seed renewals. This study demonstrated the use of plasma-activated water (PAW), generated by a solar-powered corona dielectric barrier discharger, to enhance germination rates of spinach seeds that had been stored at 4 °C for 23 years. Treating seeds with PAW at 17 kV for 15 min improved germination (by 135%) and seedling growth compared to untreated seeds. Through detailed analysis, beneficial PAW properties for seed development were identified, and a molecular mechanism for this rejuvenation is proposed. The solar-powered microreactor used in this study is considered to represent a significant advancement in seed treatment technology, offering a sustainable solution to meet growing food demands while addressing environmental and resource sustainability challenges.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

Non-thermal plasma / plant growth / reactor design / seed germination

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Acknowledgements

This research was funded by the Arkansas Agriculture Experiment Station of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture and the Center for Agricultural and Rural Sustainability (Hatch project: ARK02604).

Compliance with ethics guidelines

Yiting Xiao, Yang Tian, Haizheng Xiong, Ainong Shi, and Jun Zhu declare that they have no conflicts of interest or financial conflicts to disclose. This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

The Author(s) 2024. Published by Higher Education Press. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)