The Effect of Non-Thermal Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Treatment of Wheat Seeds on Germination Parameters and α-Amylase Enzyme Activity

• Published in: IEEE transactions on plasma science Vol. 50; no. 2; pp. 330 - 340
• Main Authors: Ussenov, Y. A., Akildinova, Ainur, Kuanbaevich, Bissenbaev Amangeldy, Serikovna, Kistaubayeva Aida, Gabdullin, Maratbek, Dosbolayev, Merlan, Daniyarov, Talgat, Ramazanov, Tlekkabul
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York IEEE 01.02.2022; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Amylases; Atmospheric pressure; Cold plasma; Contact angle; Dielectric barrier discharge; diffuse coplanar surface barrier discharges (DCSBD); Discharges (electric); Disinfection; Enzymatic activity; Enzyme activity; Enzymes; Germination; Parameters; Plant growth; Plasma; plasma agriculture; plasma food processing; Plasma temperature; Plasmas; Pressure effects; Scanning electron microscopy; Seedlings; Seeds; Sterilization; Surface discharges; Surface morphology; Surface treatment; Wettability; Wheat; wheat seed treatment
• ISSN: 0093-3813; 1939-9375
• DOI: 10.1109/TPS.2022.3145831

This contribution presents the results of a study of the germination rate and growth parameters of wheat seeds after atmospheric pressure surface coplanar dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma treatment. The germination rate and biometric parameters such as the root, shoot length, mass of the seedlings, and the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">\alpha </tex-math></inline-formula>-amylase enzyme activity were studied at different plasma exposure time. The seed coat surface wettability and morphology were determined by apparent contact angle measurement and scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis. Seed surface disinfection and the presence of filamentous fungi have also been investigated at different discharge parameters. It is shown that the optimal plasma treatment duration for increasing the growth parameters and enhancing the enzymatic activity is 5-15 s. It was found that the longer plasma exposure requires complete sterilization of the seed surface from pathogens, compared to the optimal treatment time for high germination. Based on the obtained results, the possible mechanisms of the positive effect of plasma treatment on the enhanced germination of wheat seeds are discussed.