Abstract
Plasma agriculture is an emerging technology, although the application of non-thermal plasma in wheat productivity is still in its early stage. This study deciphers the effect and mechanistic basis of non-thermal air-generated LPDBD (low-pressure dielectric barrier discharge) plasma in boosting germination, growth and nutritional properties in wheat. Seeds treated with LPDBD plasma exhibited cracked periphery and discernible expansion during seed germination. LPDBD plasma applied for 6 min showed a 22.11% increase in the germination percentage and a substantial increase in iron content in grains compared to non-treated controls. At the cellular level, the concentration of H2O2 in leaves significantly increased (3.56 mu M g(-1) FW) due to LPDBD treatment compared to controls. This increased level of H2O2 may act as a stimulating agent to trigger the physiological functions in wheat plants. In addition, plants sprouted from air-treated seeds exhibited a marked elevation in CAT and SOD activity accompanied by the increased expression of TaCAT and TaSOD genes in roots of wheat. Interestingly, the grain yield of wheat increased by 27.06% in response to plasma treatment compared to control. Further, grains harvested from plasma-treated plants showed a substantial elevation in iron and fat content as well as decreased moisture content that may contribute to the increased shelf life. The study will open up a new avenue for practical application of plasma in agriculture.