Study on activation and improvement of crop seeds by the application of plasma treating seeds equipment

Plasma technology is applied in various fields, which involves in stimulating the germinability and amelioration of crop seeds, increasing crop production and displaying high quality, stress tolerance and other beneficial traits. Crucial techniques of plasma treating seeds (PTS) are introduced and the technical applications of activating seeds with key parameters of plasma discharge equipment are discussed. With a lot of laboratory researches and field tests, the biological effects of non-thermal PTS are analyzed. Meanwhile, a preliminary discussion about the PTS mechanism and technical popularization is made. Main findings including non-thermal plasma treatment are as follows: (i) the germination rates of the maize seeds were 72% or so if treated by 140 W-160 W power, which was the highest; (ii) the length of the wheat radicle and germ was increased effectively by 8.7 cm and 3.3 cm, and the dry weight of the wheat was increased by 10.1%; (iii) the germinative energy and germinating percentage of the aging seeds could be greatly increased. It is concluded that PTS enhances seed germination as well as plant growth, meanwhile, more crops are yielded and the quality is improved. Both technologies and plasma discharge equipment have significant applicative value and popularize in agriculture.