Enhancing germination and seedling growth of barley using plasma-activated water (PAW) with neutralized pH

Achieving the highest seed germination and seedling growth rates is of paramount importance to maximize overall crop productivity. Among different technologies aiming at increasing seed germination and early plant growth, cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAP) and plasma-activated water (PAW) are tw...

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Main Authors: Mahmoud F. Seleiman, Nawab Ali, Emmanuely Z. Nungula, Harun I. Gitari, Bushra A. Alhammad, Martin L. Battaglia
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2024-12-01
Series:Cogent Food & Agriculture
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Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23311932.2024.2390162
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author Mahmoud F. Seleiman
Nawab Ali
Emmanuely Z. Nungula
Harun I. Gitari
Bushra A. Alhammad
Martin L. Battaglia
author_facet Mahmoud F. Seleiman
Nawab Ali
Emmanuely Z. Nungula
Harun I. Gitari
Bushra A. Alhammad
Martin L. Battaglia
author_sort Mahmoud F. Seleiman
collection DOAJ
description Achieving the highest seed germination and seedling growth rates is of paramount importance to maximize overall crop productivity. Among different technologies aiming at increasing seed germination and early plant growth, cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAP) and plasma-activated water (PAW) are two of the most promising. However, CAP has been shown to decrease the pH of water, potentially constraining the utility of PAW in applications involving pH-sensitive plants. Here, we assessed the impact of magnesium addition to PAW (Mg-PAW), a potential mitigator of water acidity, on barley germination and growth compared to CAP technology without Mg (PAW). Although seed germination increased with both treatments compared to just DI water (control), the increase was higher when Mg-PAW was added, increasing by 2.29 and 2.59 times on day 2 and day 3. Application of Mg-PAW also increased water absorption, seedling growth (both in terms of weight and length), concentrations of chlorophyll, carotenoids, total soluble protein and enzymatic activities compared to both the control and the PAW treatment. The Mg-PAW displayed a 1.8-fold higher total soluble protein level compared to PAW alone. Although both treatments reduced Malondialdehyde (MDA) content, a prominent stress marker in plants, Mg-PAW application resulted in a 46% higher reduction in MDA content than PAW alone. Also, Mg-PAW application increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity by 50%, and catalase (CAT) enzyme activity by 8% compared to PAW alone. The implications of these discoveries extend to different agricultural applications, offering a promising avenue for improved early plant growth using Mg-PAW technologies under neutral or near-to-neutral pH conditions.
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spelling doaj-art-6b4c9ce8f11d434095161a73dd4bb6122025-08-20T02:49:47ZengTaylor & Francis GroupCogent Food & Agriculture2331-19322024-12-0110110.1080/23311932.2024.2390162Enhancing germination and seedling growth of barley using plasma-activated water (PAW) with neutralized pHMahmoud F. Seleiman0Nawab Ali1Emmanuely Z. Nungula2Harun I. Gitari3Bushra A. Alhammad4Martin L. Battaglia5Plant Production Department, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering (BAE), College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USADepartment of Environment and Sustainable Development, Mzumbe University, Morogoro, TanzaniaDepartment of Agricultural Science and Technology, School of Agriculture and Environmental Science, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, KenyaBiology Department, College of Science and Humanity Studies, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al Kharj, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaRegenerable LLC, Ithaca, NY, USAchieving the highest seed germination and seedling growth rates is of paramount importance to maximize overall crop productivity. Among different technologies aiming at increasing seed germination and early plant growth, cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAP) and plasma-activated water (PAW) are two of the most promising. However, CAP has been shown to decrease the pH of water, potentially constraining the utility of PAW in applications involving pH-sensitive plants. Here, we assessed the impact of magnesium addition to PAW (Mg-PAW), a potential mitigator of water acidity, on barley germination and growth compared to CAP technology without Mg (PAW). Although seed germination increased with both treatments compared to just DI water (control), the increase was higher when Mg-PAW was added, increasing by 2.29 and 2.59 times on day 2 and day 3. Application of Mg-PAW also increased water absorption, seedling growth (both in terms of weight and length), concentrations of chlorophyll, carotenoids, total soluble protein and enzymatic activities compared to both the control and the PAW treatment. The Mg-PAW displayed a 1.8-fold higher total soluble protein level compared to PAW alone. Although both treatments reduced Malondialdehyde (MDA) content, a prominent stress marker in plants, Mg-PAW application resulted in a 46% higher reduction in MDA content than PAW alone. Also, Mg-PAW application increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity by 50%, and catalase (CAT) enzyme activity by 8% compared to PAW alone. The implications of these discoveries extend to different agricultural applications, offering a promising avenue for improved early plant growth using Mg-PAW technologies under neutral or near-to-neutral pH conditions.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23311932.2024.2390162Cold atmospheric pressure plasmaplasma-activated water (PAW)seed germinationplant growthbarley seedlingsBiotechnology
spellingShingle Mahmoud F. Seleiman
Nawab Ali
Emmanuely Z. Nungula
Harun I. Gitari
Bushra A. Alhammad
Martin L. Battaglia
Enhancing germination and seedling growth of barley using plasma-activated water (PAW) with neutralized pH
Cogent Food & Agriculture
Cold atmospheric pressure plasma
plasma-activated water (PAW)
seed germination
plant growth
barley seedlings
Biotechnology
title Enhancing germination and seedling growth of barley using plasma-activated water (PAW) with neutralized pH
title_full Enhancing germination and seedling growth of barley using plasma-activated water (PAW) with neutralized pH
title_fullStr Enhancing germination and seedling growth of barley using plasma-activated water (PAW) with neutralized pH
title_full_unstemmed Enhancing germination and seedling growth of barley using plasma-activated water (PAW) with neutralized pH
title_short Enhancing germination and seedling growth of barley using plasma-activated water (PAW) with neutralized pH
title_sort enhancing germination and seedling growth of barley using plasma activated water paw with neutralized ph
topic Cold atmospheric pressure plasma
plasma-activated water (PAW)
seed germination
plant growth
barley seedlings
Biotechnology
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23311932.2024.2390162
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