Abstract
The present study reports the generation of plasma-activated water (PAW) using dielectric barrier discharge (DBD), its physicochemical properties, and its potential impact on the seed germination and seedling growth of soybean. The results revealed significant changes in physical parameters, such as pH, total dissolved solids, total suspended solids, turbidity, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, and chemical parameters, such as calcium, chromium, sodium, manganese, nitrate, nitrites, phosphorus, and sulfur and biological parameter such as E. coli in water after plasma treatment. The concentration of dissolved oxygen, conductivity, nitrate, nitrite, and sulfur was increased with an increase in water treatment time, and the amounts of the other analyzed parameters decreased with the increase in water treatment time. The effects of untreated water and plasma-activated water treated for 20 minutes on soybean germination and growth were studied. The germination rate was found to be higher with plasma-treated water. Shoot lengths, seedlings length, vigor index, and germination rates were increased as compared to those germinated by normal water irrigation. The seedlings irrigated with PAW responded to the abundance of nitrogen by producing intensely green leaves because of their increased chlorophyll a as compared to seedlings irrigated with normal water. However, the content of chlorophyll b and carotenoids was found to decrease in the case of seedlings irrigated with PAW. Based on this report, we conclude that PAW could be used to substantially enhance seed germination and seedling growth.
Highlights
Soybean (Glycine max) is a globally important crop that is commonly grown for its edible bean, which can be consumed raw, defatted to produce a proteic animal feed, processed to produce meat and dairy substitutes, and fermented to produce items such as soy sauce [1, 2]
In this study, we investigated the potential application of plasma-activated water (PAW) generated by using a low-cost handmade atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge (APDBD) generated at 50 Hz line frequency, utilizing air as a carrier gas, on the proliferation effect of seed germination and growth of soybeans
E. coli content in water was evaluated, and the results revealed that the number of colony counts of E. coli was significantly dropped, initially from 100 CFU to 0 CFU with 10 min of water treatment time (Table 1). e formation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RON/ROS) in PAW might be responsible for the decrease in pH, which could be the prominent cause of its antimicrobial properties [64]
Summary
Rajesh Prakash Guragain ,1 Suman Prakash Pradhan ,2 Hom Bahadur Baniya ,3 Bishnu Prasad Pandey ,4 Niroj Basnet ,1 Binita Sedhai ,1 Santosh Dhungana ,1 Ganesh Kuwar Chhetri ,1 Ujjwal Man Joshi ,1 and Deepak Prasad Subedi 1. E present study reports the generation of plasma-activated water (PAW) using dielectric barrier discharge (DBD), its physicochemical properties, and its potential impact on the seed germination and seedling growth of soybean. E effects of untreated water and plasma-activated water treated for 20 minutes on soybean germination and growth were studied. Seedlings length, vigor index, and germination rates were increased as compared to those germinated by normal water irrigation. E seedlings irrigated with PAW responded to the abundance of nitrogen by producing intensely green leaves because of their increased chlorophyll a as compared to seedlings irrigated with normal water. We conclude that PAW could be used to substantially enhance seed germination and seedling growth
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
