In recent years, non-thermal plasma (NTP) application in agriculture is rapidly increasing. Many published articles and reviews in the literature are focus on the post-harvest use of plasma in agriculture. However, the pre-harvest application of plasma still in its early stage. Therefore, in this review, we covered the effect of NTP and plasma-treated water (PTW) on seed germination and growth enhancement. Further, we will discuss the change in biochemical analysis, e.g., the variation in phytohormones, phytochemicals, and antioxidant levels of seeds after treatment with NTP and PTW. Lastly, we will address the possibility of using plasma in the actual agriculture field and prospects of this technology.

In recent years, cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAP) applications in agriculture are rapidly increasing. This review covers the effect of CAP and plasma-treated liquid (PTL) on seeds. CAP treatment on seed alters the germination percentage, morphology (shoot height, root length, surface area, etc.), gene expression, and biochemical responses (changes in hormones, antioxidants, amino acids, total soluble sugar content, chlorophyll content, etc.). The changes were incorporated in yield-related parameters (fresh and dry weight of seedlings) and water absorption capacity after plasma treatment. Lastly, we discussed the current status of CAP and PTL use in agricultural land.

To meet the needs of the hungry population, it is critical to boost agricultural product production while minimizing contaminated waste. The use of two nonthermal technologies, pulsed electric field (PEF) and nonthermal plasma (NTP), is increasing every day. As both PEF and NTP are relatively newer areas, there is limited knowledge about these two technologies and their modes of action. Studies showed that PEF treatment on the plant seeds helps germination and seedling growth. The positive impact of PEF intensity is highly dependent on the seed coat type and plant species. Another nonthermal technology, NTP, affects seed germination, seedling growth, yield, and resilience to abiotic stress when generated at varying pressures with and without different feed gases. Early germination, germination rate, and germination percentage were all improved when the seedlings were treated with NTP. Similarly to the PEF treatment, NTP had a negative or no effect on germination. This review examined the effects of PEF and NTP on seed germination and analyzed the situation and mechanism behind the positive or negative effect. Deactivation of proteins and enzymes to extend the shelf life of beverages is another prominent application of PEF and NTP. The interaction of PEF and NTP with proteins aids in understanding the microscopic mechanism of these technologies. Therefore, we covered in this review the potential structural and functional changes in proteins/enzymes as a result of PEF and NTP, as well as a comparison of the benefits and drawbacks of these two technologies.

Discharge plasma irradiates seeds with reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS). However, RONS introduced in seeds by plasma irradiation have not been successfully detected thus far. This study provides experimental evidence that nitrate ion NO₃⁻ is introduced in lettuce seeds as RONS upon irradiation with atmospheric-pressure air dielectric barrier discharge plasma. Plasma irradiation for 5 min promotes seed germination. The components of the plasma-irradiated seeds were examined using electrospray ionization quantum mass spectrometry (ESI QMS), which revealed that the plasma irradiation introduced an ion with a mass of 62 m/z in detectable amounts. This ion was identified as NO₃⁻ by liquid chromatography (LC), multiple wavelength detector (MWD), and LC-ESI QMS. A one-dimensional simulation at electron temperature T_e = 1 eV, electron density N_e = 10¹³/m³, and gas temperature T_g = 300 K indicated the introduction of NO₃⁻, involving nitric oxide NO. NO₃⁻ is one of the most important ions that trigger signal transduction for germination when introduced in seeds. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images revealed that there was no change on the surface of the seeds after plasma irradiation. Plasma irradiation is an effective method of introducing NO₃⁻ in seeds in a dry process without causing damage.

Soil fertility management is of great importance for farmers. The use of synthetic nitrogen (N)-fertilizer increased by 20 fold in the last 50 years to feed the increasingly hungry population. This study aims to enrich the plant soil with nitrogen content (NH₄NO₃ fertilizer in soil) using the low-temperature and low-pressure plasma [without H₂ and catalyst]. Subsequently, we used plasma N-enriched soil for plant (radish and tomato) growth. We investigated the germination percentage, seedling growth, seedling weight, phytohormones and antioxidant activity of radish and tomato plants after treatment with plasma N-enriched soil and compared with control soil and soil + commercial N-fertilizer. The plasma N-enriched soil treatment results in significant growth enhancement for both radish and tomato plants. Further, substantial changes in phytohormone and antioxidant levels were observed for the plants grown in plasma N-enriched soil compared to control soil and soil + commercial N-fertilizer. The energy consumption (EC) for total N-fixation was 12 MJ mol⁻¹. EC for ammonia and nitrate fixation was 17 and 41 MJ mol⁻¹, respectively, without H₂ gas. Further to understand the plasma chemistry, we performed 1D simulation using COMSOL Multiphysics® software. This study showed that direct N-fixation in the soil by plasma could be used as fertilizer for the plants and open a new window for future decentralized N-fertilizer production at the farm site.

An ac electric field (acEF) application technology has been reported as a principle technique for food preservation. With this method, conformational changes in the protein molecules of food materials may be induced. Conformational changes were experimentally examined using bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a model protein using an acEF technology. The amplitude of acEF was 66.7 kV/m. BSA with acEF (ac-BSA) and BSA without the ac field (n-BSA) were trypsinized under the same conditions. The derived peptides were compared by using sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis patterns. Formation of tryptic peptides was increased in n-BSA, and trypsin digestion was suppressed in ac-BSA. These results indicate that conformational changes in BSA molecules were induced by acEF application.