Non-contact and non-invasive monitoring of plant growth combining atmospheric pressure remote plasma treatment and detection of plant-derived biophotons

Abstract

The present study demonstrated non-contact and non-invasive monitoring of plant growth by combining atmospheric pressure remote plasma treatment with measurement of the ultra-weak luminescence of biophotons emitted from plants. Biophotons were more likely to be emitted from plasma-irradiated seeds than from unirradiated seeds. Furthermore, these results could characterize the germination state of seeds in a non-contact and non-invasive manner and will help elucidate the potential mechanisms underlying the growth-promoting effects of plasma irradiation as well as the development of “plasma agriculture”.