Effect of Plasma-Treated Water Spray on Seed Germination Rate

Abstract

A plasma-treated spray (PTS) system is developed to combine gas-phase plasma and plasma-treated droplets for seed treatment. The modular design enables scalable generation of plasma-treated sprays suitable for large-area applications. The effects on germination are evaluated for five crop species: wheat, barley, pea, onion, and beetroot. Plasma treatment improves germination vigor in wheat, barley, and pea. Onion and beetroot show limited or species-specific responses. Electrical characterization demonstrates linear scalability of discharge energy and power consumption over the number of plasma reactor units. The PTS approach achieves competitive energy efficiency and treatment cost, representing a promising step toward sustainable, field-scale plasma applications in agriculture.