Overcoming Dormancy of Black Locust (<i>Robinia pseudoacacia</i> L.) Seeds Using Various Non-Thermal Plasma Sources

Black locust (Fabaceae family) seeds are known for their strong dormant state and are an excellent candidate for studying and developing methods to break dormancy. We investigated overcoming the dormancy using several different sources of non-thermal plasma, which, by modifying, etching, or disrupti...

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Main Authors: Vladimír Scholtz, Jana Jirešová, Josef Khun, Tomasz Czapka, Jaroslav Julák, Myron Klenivskyi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-02-01
Series:Plants
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/5/728
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author Vladimír Scholtz
Jana Jirešová
Josef Khun
Tomasz Czapka
Jaroslav Julák
Myron Klenivskyi
author_facet Vladimír Scholtz
Jana Jirešová
Josef Khun
Tomasz Czapka
Jaroslav Julák
Myron Klenivskyi
author_sort Vladimír Scholtz
collection DOAJ
description Black locust (Fabaceae family) seeds are known for their strong dormant state and are an excellent candidate for studying and developing methods to break dormancy. We investigated overcoming the dormancy using several different sources of non-thermal plasma, which, by modifying, etching, or disrupting the waxy seed coat, allowed water to penetrate the seeds and initiate germination. All plasma sources tested enhanced seed germination to varying degrees, with over 80% germination observed when using a dielectric barrier discharge, while control seeds showed no germination. Non-thermal plasma treatment significantly decreased the water contact angle of the seed surface from an initial 120° (for untreated seeds) to complete wetting when using a dielectric barrier discharge or atmospheric-pressure plasma jet. The experiments indicate two mechanisms for the modification of the waxy seed coat by a non-thermal plasma: hydrophilization of the wax surface through the binding of oxygen particles and etching of narrow channels in the wax layer, allowing water to penetrate the seed.
format Article
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publisher MDPI AG
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spelling doaj-art-2e617757a868469bad1da74bcb7a4a4f2025-08-20T02:52:49ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472025-02-0114572810.3390/plants14050728Overcoming Dormancy of Black Locust (<i>Robinia pseudoacacia</i> L.) Seeds Using Various Non-Thermal Plasma SourcesVladimír Scholtz0Jana Jirešová1Josef Khun2Tomasz Czapka3Jaroslav Julák4Myron Klenivskyi5Department of Physics and Measurements, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Technická 5, 166 28 Prague, Czech RepublicDepartment of Physics and Measurements, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Technická 5, 166 28 Prague, Czech RepublicDepartment of Physics and Measurements, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Technická 5, 166 28 Prague, Czech RepublicDepartment of Electrical Engineering Fundamentals, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370 Wroclaw, PolandDepartment of Physics and Measurements, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Technická 5, 166 28 Prague, Czech RepublicDepartment of Physics and Measurements, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Technická 5, 166 28 Prague, Czech RepublicBlack locust (Fabaceae family) seeds are known for their strong dormant state and are an excellent candidate for studying and developing methods to break dormancy. We investigated overcoming the dormancy using several different sources of non-thermal plasma, which, by modifying, etching, or disrupting the waxy seed coat, allowed water to penetrate the seeds and initiate germination. All plasma sources tested enhanced seed germination to varying degrees, with over 80% germination observed when using a dielectric barrier discharge, while control seeds showed no germination. Non-thermal plasma treatment significantly decreased the water contact angle of the seed surface from an initial 120° (for untreated seeds) to complete wetting when using a dielectric barrier discharge or atmospheric-pressure plasma jet. The experiments indicate two mechanisms for the modification of the waxy seed coat by a non-thermal plasma: hydrophilization of the wax surface through the binding of oxygen particles and etching of narrow channels in the wax layer, allowing water to penetrate the seed.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/5/728non-thermal plasmablack locust<i>Robinia pseudoacacia</i>seed dormancyseed treatmentseed germination
spellingShingle Vladimír Scholtz
Jana Jirešová
Josef Khun
Tomasz Czapka
Jaroslav Julák
Myron Klenivskyi
Overcoming Dormancy of Black Locust (<i>Robinia pseudoacacia</i> L.) Seeds Using Various Non-Thermal Plasma Sources
Plants
non-thermal plasma
black locust
<i>Robinia pseudoacacia</i>
seed dormancy
seed treatment
seed germination
title Overcoming Dormancy of Black Locust (<i>Robinia pseudoacacia</i> L.) Seeds Using Various Non-Thermal Plasma Sources
title_full Overcoming Dormancy of Black Locust (<i>Robinia pseudoacacia</i> L.) Seeds Using Various Non-Thermal Plasma Sources
title_fullStr Overcoming Dormancy of Black Locust (<i>Robinia pseudoacacia</i> L.) Seeds Using Various Non-Thermal Plasma Sources
title_full_unstemmed Overcoming Dormancy of Black Locust (<i>Robinia pseudoacacia</i> L.) Seeds Using Various Non-Thermal Plasma Sources
title_short Overcoming Dormancy of Black Locust (<i>Robinia pseudoacacia</i> L.) Seeds Using Various Non-Thermal Plasma Sources
title_sort overcoming dormancy of black locust i robinia pseudoacacia i l seeds using various non thermal plasma sources
topic non-thermal plasma
black locust
<i>Robinia pseudoacacia</i>
seed dormancy
seed treatment
seed germination
url https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/5/728
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