engleski

Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) seeds treated by low-pressure DBD oxygen and air plasma: germination and growth

There are several pathways by which gas discharges can influence biological objects. Due to high concentration of RONS radicals these discharges have bactericidal effect causing the reduction of pathogenic species on the surface of treated objects. Besides affecting bacteria, the radicals can graft to the surface of the treated samples thereby changing its properties. These changes are mostly notable in the wettability of the exposed surfaces. Also, the cold gas discharges usually involve UV radiation and microscopic electric fields. Both of these can interfere with biological signalling processes inside and between the exposed cells leading to altered cell behaviour, for example supressing the organism growth. Here are presented results of treating the seeds of parsley (lat Petroselinum crispum) using low pressure cold plasma discharge (oxygen, air). The samples have been treated at a pressure of 1.4 mbar for different treatment times. The plasma has been generated in a reactor 2 L in volume with a plate-electrode separation of 3 cm using a power source with nominal power of 6 W (2.5 kV, 25 kHz). Optical emission spectroscopy was used to characterise plasma within the reactor. After plasma treatment of seeds, we measured contact angle, time of spreading water on seeds, germination rate, appearance of the first two leaves, appearance of the third leave (the first with parsley characteristics), and we followed the growth of parsley planted in a hydroponic- growth system. Each treated group of about 100 seeds, for treatment times of 1, 3 and 5 minutes was compared to the corresponding control group. Acknowledgement: This work was supported by Croatian Science Foundation under the project #2753. We would like to thank Magda Topić, Luka Čabraja, Dominik Matišin, Filip Kusetić, secondary school pupils, their mentors Mihaela Marceljak Ilić, prof and Marko Movre, prof., from XV. Gymnasium Zagreb and Berti Erjavec from IF Zagreb for their help.

cold gas discharge plasma, hydroponic growth, persil, plasma agriculture

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