Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Treatment as a Cost-Effective and Eco-Friendly Pre-Treatment Method to Enhance Seed Perfomance in Germination and Early Seedling Growth

Novel methods of improving the seed quality have gained a lot of attention recently, cold atmospheric pressure plasma being one of the most promising methods. The effects of cold atmospheric pressure plasma treatment of chili - MI 2 (Capsicum annuum L.) and snake gourd - MI short (Trichosanthes cucumerina) seeds have been compared with a conventional fungicide seed coating and a biological coating treatment. The plasma exposure times used were 4min, 6min and 10min. Cold atmospheric pressure plasma treatment has shown improved effects on seed germination for both Capsicum annuum L. and Trichosanthes cucumerina seeds. Both seed types showed the best germination results under 6 min treatment while displaying the best Seed Vigor Index through 4 min plasma treatment. Compared with the coating treatments, cold atmospheric pressure plasma has shown a significant stimulation in seed germination and early growth.