Current status and future prospects of agricultural applications using atmospheric‐pressure plasma technologies

Abstract

We review new trends of agricultural applications of atmospheric‐pressure plasmas for decontaminating agricultural products and enhancing seed germination and growth of plants and beneficial microorganisms. We classify the decontamination techniques into three kinds of treatments, which are gas‐phase, in‐liquid, and plasma‐activated liquid treatments, and introduce recent studies mainly after 2010, discussing the inactivation mechanism of microorganisms in each treatment. Likewise, we categorize the enhancement techniques into the same three kinds of treatments, and introduce the growth enhancements in detail, discussing the mechanisms and future prospects.

Effects of Nonthermal Plasma on Wheat Grains and Products

“…NTP is intensively studied in relation to seed modification, above all in relation to the agriculture [29,32] and food industry [68,69]. e strategy of using NTP in the food industry is to decontaminate of food products, packaging material processing, functionality modification of food materials, and dissipation of agrochemical residues [4,29]. Many microorganisms are sensitive to the NTP.…”

“…Another serious problem is the development of insecticide resistance in stored grain insect pests [24]. erefore, there has been growing interest in biotechnology research concerning the possible using of some alternative treatments, such as plant extracts [25], gamma irradiation [26] or plant extract and gamma irradiation together [27], laser [28], or NTP treatment [29][30][31]. Some earlier attempts to describe the effects of NTP on various seeds, including wheat, have been evaluated in the review [32].…”

Effects of plasma activated water on wheat: Germination, growth parameters, photosynthetic pigments, soluble protein content, and antioxidant enzymes activity

“…It can be generated by various kinds of electrical discharges and it is often utilized in numerous environmental and biomedical applications . Recently, the CP has also found its applications in food processing, packaging, and agriculture …”

Oxygen radical based on non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma alleviates lignin-derived phenolic toxicity in yeast

“…The radical generator provides high electron density, and we reported large amounts of atomic -O ( 3 P j ) at an absolute density on the order of between 10 13 cm −3 and 10 14 cm −3 (equivalent to 1-10 ppm) [28]. Use of the NTAP-based radical generator has several advantages: (1) on-site generation, which avoids problems associated with chemical supply and storage; (2) reaction at ambient temperatures and pressures; (3) achievement of a rapid reaction with a high density of atomic oxygen radicals; and (4) a low cost relative to conventional low-pressure plasmas due to the absence of vacuum devices [29]. Moreover, pretreatment of plant biomass using a radical generator is more environmentally friendly than chemical methods, given that no chemical waste is produced.…”