Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the effect of atmospheric plasma application on the inactivation of fungi on the surface of Erythrina velutina seeds and on isolated fungal colonies. Two experiments were conducted using a completely randomized design. First, plasma was applied to the surface of the seeds using helium gas and atmospheric plasma for 3, 6, and 9 min in addition to the control (untreated seeds), constituting seven treatments with five repetitions each. In the second experiment, Petri dishes containing the inoculum of different fungi were treated with atmospheric air plasma for 3, 6, and 9 min (Air-3, Air-6, and Air-9) and were compared with untreated fungi in Petri dishes without treatment (control), totaling four treatments and five repetitions each. We found that the application of atmospheric air plasma to E. velutina seeds for 9 min had an antimicrobial effect on the fungi Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Fusarium sp., Brachysporium sp., and Rhizopus sp. The formation of fungal colonies isolated from E. velutina seeds was also inhibited by 3 min of exposure to atmospheric air plasma, except for A. niger, whose inhibition occurred after 6 min of exposure to atmospheric plasma.
Highlights
Erythrina velutina is a species of the Fabaceae family that occurs in the Caatinga biome of Brazil and has a high resistance to drought and vigorous, rapid growth
Treatments were applied to the seeds, consisting of control, helium gas for 3 (He-3), 6 (He-6), and 9 (He-9) min, and air atmospheric plasma applied for 3 (Ar-3), 6 (Ar-6), and 9 (Ar-9) min
Treatment with dielectric barrier discharge plasma with helium gas for 3, 6, and 9 min was not effective (p < 0.05) in reducing the presence of fungi compared to the control treatment, with an incidence of 94–98% (Table 1)
Summary
Erythrina velutina is a species of the Fabaceae family that occurs in the Caatinga biome of Brazil and has a high resistance to drought and vigorous, rapid growth In this biome, E. velutina is popularly known as “mulungu”, “corticeira”, and “sananduva” and is used for various purposes such as hedge plantings, recovery of degraded areas, landscaping, handicrafts, and production of medicinal products (Ribeiro et al, 2014). Contamination by microorganisms may lead to the loss of seed lots that do not reach satisfactory levels of germination, reducing the supply of seeds in the market. This fact is even more worrying for the seeds of forest species because, their seasonal production may be sporadic.
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Schedule a callMore From: Brazilian journal of biology = Revista brasleira de biologia
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