Direct plasma treatment of caryopses after flowering in brewer’s rice cultivar Yamadanishiki enhanced those grain qualities through “Smart Agriculture System”

Abstract

In present investigation, the effort is done to enhance the grain quality in brewer’s rice cultivar Yamadanishiki with the plasma treatment of caryopsis (rice fruit) on ripening process. Seedlings transplanted from a paddy field into pots were grown in a greenhouse, and each caryopsis was treated with plasma on 1, 5, 10 and 15 days after flowering (DAF). The ratio of white-core grains to total number of grains was decreased in the grains treated on DAF1, same level on DAF5, and increased on DAF10 and 15, respectively, compared with control grains. Moreover, same treatment test was conducted with seedlings transplanted from a paddy field into pots and grown in growth chambers equipped with a sensing system to monitor environmental and growth conditions, referred to the climatic conditions of paddy fields. The ratio of white-core grains to total number of grains was decreased in the grains treated on DAF1, and increased on DAF5, 10 and 15, respectively. We demonstrated that plasma treatment of caryopsis affected the formation of white core, and that environmental conditions in the growth chamber were simulated to a paddy field. We would advocate the next-generation agriculture using ICT and plasma, “Smart Agriculture System”, for producing high-quality crops.