Plasma Activation for Enhanced Seed Germination and Growth in Hydroponics

A significant increase in nonthermal atmospheric plasma applications, such as dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasmas, have been steadily increasing in industry and in the research literature. DBD plasmas have shown immense potential in accelerating and enhancing germination and growth characteristics in a variety of plant seeds. Enhancing germination and growth in hydroponic species may have significant benefits to future space habitats. Experiments are conducted to investigate the effect of DBD plasma treatment of several different common hydroponic seed species with various parameters demonstrating enhanced seed germination and growth compared to untreated control groups. The parameters being investigated in the experiments include plasma device characteristics such as voltage, current, and frequency, as well as other significant parameters such as displacement between seed and DBD source, treatment time, and temperature of the plasma. Plasma is applied to deionized water and the seeds separately as well as concurrently. Germination and growth characteristics are determined by stem height and final mass. Seeds are grown hydroponically in a controlled environment with deionized water. Different types of energy are also applied and compared with DBD plasma treatment.