Treatment of Plasma activated water enhances germination, plant growth, and net productivity in pea seeds

The present study has been carried to investigate the interaction and effect of plasma activated water (PAW) on pea seeds. PAW is produced with the interaction of air plasma with water that forms reactive oxygen-nitrogen species in it. Our results with surface morphological study shows that PAW treatment removes the wax from the surface of peas and modifies their hydrophobic surface to hydrophilic. Wettability study shows decrease in water contact angle with seed surface after PAW treatment. Also, PAW treatment improves germination rate, viability index and mean germination time compared to control. Further, the study reveals that the grown plants have higher roots and shoots length, fresh and dry weight, increased chlorophyll ‘a’ and higher sugar and protein concentration compared to control. Although electrolytic and phenolic leakage from pea leaves did not show any significant difference in PAW and control-treated seeds, results obtained from antioxidant analysis clearly show an increased antioxidant enzymatic (SOD, CAT, APX, and POD) activity mainly in the roots in seedlings grown from seeds treated with PAW. However, no significant difference in H2O2 concentration in the pea plant was observed. Hence, our study indicates potential role of seed pre-treatment with PAW to improve germination and plant growth.