Low-temperature plasma applications in chemical fungicide treatment reduction

Lucia Hoppanová,Anna Zahoranová,Daniela Hudecová,Juliana Dylíková,Veronika Medvecká,Svetlana Kryštofová,Barbora Kaliňáková

doi:10.2478/acs-2020-0005

Abstract

Abstract In order to reduce the environmental burden of chemicals, various new alternatives to seed protection are being sought. Our aim was to find an environmentally acceptable solution leading to the inactivation of seed-borne phytopathogenic fungi Fusarium culmorum on the surface of wheat and barley seeds with a positive effect on their germination. As a low-temperature plasma (LTP) source, a Diffuse Coplanar Surface Barrier Discharge (DCSBD) was used. Plasma generated by DCSBD is non-equilibrium, cold, diffuse, macroscopically homogeneous even in ambient air at atmospheric pressure. Experimental results showed that LTP treatment in the range of 120—300 s significantly inhibits the growth of F. culmorum on the surface of the seeds. The efficiency of LTP treatment was compared with traditional seed protection processes using chemical fungicide and also with combined seed pretreatment by plasma and subsequent application of chemical fungicide. No growth of F. culmorum was observed after the combination of Vitavax 2000 fungicide application in the dose of 10 % and 60 s of LTP treatment even on the 5th day of incubation. Better wettability of seeds with the chemical fungicide was related to the change on seed surface, which becomes hydrophilic after 10 s of LTP application. Short LTP exposure times did not affect germination and improved the growth parameter of cereal seeds. By combining physical (LTP) and chemical (Vitavax 2000) treatments of cereal seeds, it is possible to effectively reduce the required amount of chemical fungicide and to stimulate germination and early growth seed parameters.

Highlights

Cereals represent the main part of human and animal nutrition
Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) SEM measurements were performed using a Scanning Electron Microscope Vega II SBH (Tescan, Czech Republic) at the acceleration voltage of Cereal seed surface decontamination from Fusarium culmorum Two methods were used to reduce the growth of F. culmorum on the surface of cereal seeds: a chemical method using the fungicidal effect of Vitavax 2000 and a physical method using the effect of low-temperature plasma (LTP)
Experimental results presented in this study indicate that low-temperature atmospheric pressure plasma generated by a plasma source based on Diffuse Coplanar Surface Barrier Discharge (DCSBD) in ambient air can be successfully used for the treatment of cereal seeds

Summary

Introduction

Cereals represent the main part of human and animal nutrition. Wheat, barley and maize are grown on more land area than any other food crop. Cereal contamination by microscopic fungi is one of the main causes of stored seeds depletion since microscopic mycelial fungi reduce seed germination and seed nutritional quality (Ramos et al, 1998). (a model organism in this study) are well-known pathogens of cereals that produce mycotoxins, e.g. trichothecenes, fumonisins, zearalenone, deoxy nivalenol, with carcinogenic, mutagenic and genotoxic effects. They cause acute or chronic human and animal health problems (Pereira et al, 2014). This fungal genus causes a crop disease — fusariose, which reduces germination and seed quality and causes crop losses (McMullen et al, 2012).

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