Plant growth promotion effect of plasma activated water on Lactuca sativa L. cultivated in two different volumes of substrate

Abstract

Plasma activated water (PAW) can represent an alternative to chemical fertilizers in agriculture. The effects of PAW treatment applied in two concentrations (1.5 or 3.0 mg L−1 NO3−) on some morphological, physiological, biochemical parameters and yield of Lactuca sativa L. grown in two different pot volumes (400 or 3200 cm3) were investigated in this study. The results showed that both PAW concentrations did not influence the germination, once the process was initiated. Positive effects of the treatments were registered on the length of radicle and hypocotyls of lettuce at a concentration of 1.5 mg L−1 NO3− (PAW I), the chlorophyll content was significantly increased at a concentration of 3.0 mg L−1 NO3− (PAW II) and bigger pot volume, also the foliar weight and area. No significant differences between the treated and untreated plants were recorded for the root weight, leaf length and width. The dry weight was significantly higher for the lettuce treated with PAW I and II grown in big volume pots at 57 days after transplanting (DAT) and small volume pots at 64 DAT. The nitrites content of the lettuce grown in big pots was lower than of the lettuce grown in small pots, regardless of the PAW treatment. Contrary, the nitrates content was higher in the lettuce grown in big pots (up to 36.4 mg KNO3/g DW), compared to small pots (under 0.3 mg KNO3/g DW).

The Effect of Plasma Activated Water on Maize (Zea mays L.) under Arsenic Stress

“…Peroxidases are key players in this process, polymerizing lignin precursors, monolignols [31]. Improved growth after the PAW treatment was also reported by [24] on lettuce (Lactuca sativa); however, changes depended on the harvest date and on the used PAW composition. A positive effect of PAW on the growth of another important crop, a wheat (Triticum aestivum), was documented by [42], which also confirmed a positive effect of PAW on photosynthetic pigment concentration but detected lowered activities of antioxidant enzymes.…”

“…It is the priming effect of H 2 O 2 that provokes plants to react faster and stronger to a potential stress, and NO 3 − and NO 2 − as a source of critically important microelement essential for building proteins and other macromolecules. Some authors describe the effects of PAW as alternatives to chemical biostimulators in very early embryo development, e.g., during seed germination (e.g., [42]), although the effect of PAW depends on several factors, such as plant species, plasma activated water activity (its chemical composition), and other experimental conditions [24]. Maize used in the present study has, in general, a high percentage of germination, and the difference between the PAW treatments and the control with respect to germination was non-significant (data not shown).…”

“…Their positive effects on macroscopic physical characteristics of seedlings and plants have been reported, including number and quality of leaves, length of above-ground parts and roots, and fresh and dry weight. The broad range of analytical methods have been used also to investigate the effects of plasma and PAW on physiological processes and metabolism, e.g., water uptake, photosynthetic pigments content, photosynthetic rate, enzymatic activity, and protein contents or DNA damage [22][23][24][25].…”

Plasma-fixated nitrogen as fertilizer for turf grass

“…The application of plasma-xated nitrogen in agriculture has recently gained much attention because of its various interesting properties and potential for sustainable production. Plasma activated water has been shown to enhance seed germination, 4 plant growth, [5][6][7] and have antiseptic properties as a result of microbial reduction. 8 However, most applications to agriculture have focused on its use as a fertilizer for crops such as corn, 9 barley, 10 and fresh produce such as lettuce.…”

“…8 However, most applications to agriculture have focused on its use as a fertilizer for crops such as corn, 9 barley, 10 and fresh produce such as lettuce. 6 In this paper, we examine the use of plasma-xated nitrogen in the fertilization of turf grass, specically rye grass and bent grass. Turf grass is considered to be one of the largest irrigated crops in the United States, covering a greater surface area than even irrigated corn.…”