A systematic approach to cold plasma- and electromagnetic field-induced effects on seeds and plants grown from treated seeds

Abstract

The effects of non-thermal or cold plasma (CP) and electromagnetic field (EMF) are currently under extensive investigation in agricultural studies as an alternative to the traditional pre-sowing seed treatment technologies. Numerous studies provide evidence that seed treatment with CP or EMF improves agricultural performance of crops, leads to stimulation of germination and seedling development followed the long-term changes on plant metabolism, biomass production, and disease resistance. However, a detailed approach to molecular mechanisms of mentioned effects is still missing. The present study is a systematic overview of our long-term observations on effects of CP and EMF seed treatment on numerous parameters of seed and plant morphology and physiology: surface topology, microbiome, generation of reactive oxygen species and phytohormones, germination rate, branching, rooting, nodulation, and synthesis of bioactive compounds in plants grown from treated seeds. A “favourite” physical stress (eustress) and distress duration and mode was determined for numerous perennial and annual plants. We have proved the role of complex changes in phytohormone amount and ratios in CP- and EMF-treated plants in the mechanism of plant enhancement maintenance and transfer to the next generation. We have reported for the first time that pre-sowing seed treatment with short-duration physical stressors (CP, 2-7 min, and EMF, 5-15 min) induces not only changes in germination and plant growth but also increases amount of biologically active constituents and antioxidant activity in leaves up to 3- fold.