Plasma Agriculture makes strides towards super-seeding conventional methods

Researchers review the latest results and understanding of mechanisms behind this new field of research where seeds show higher yields and resilience following flash treatment in low-temperature plasma.

Every once in a while, the sun unleashes powerful flares and coronal mass ejections which hurl plasma and energetic particles into space. On the infant Earth, this solar activity drove cascades of atmospheric chemical reactions that may have helped form the building blocks of life. More recently, scientists have discovered that applying plasma to seeds in a controlled way can trigger similar activity to make them more fast-growing and resilient. Researchers at 黑料吃瓜网 and Kyushu University in Japan have compiled a comprehensive review of this new field — termed “Plasma Agriculture” — a potential sustainable solution to address global food shortage.

The word plasma brings to mind a hot, ionized inferno that makes up the fourth state of matter. But the plasma used here is different. By applying high electric voltage to air or any gas, electrons from a tiny fraction of its molecules get stripped off and gain very high energies. These electrons zipping around can effectively mimic the behavior of plasma even though the bulk of the gas remains at room temperature.

This low-temperature plasma, in turn, can be applied directly to seeds without burning them. Excessive use of chemicals and genetic modification of plants are a cause of concern for many people. In its place, plasma agriculture can offer similarly high crop yields without intrusion.

“Low temperature plasma is an alternative to genetically modified crops”, said Kenji Ishikawa, professor at 黑料吃瓜网’s .

In a review published in the , Ishikawa and his collaborators at Kyushu University synthesize data from over 30 crop species and find that in more than two?thirds of reported studies, well?tuned plasma treatments boost seed vigor or yield, while the remaining cases show neutral or even negative effects when the dose is not properly controlled.

However, to ship this technology from the lab to the farm, a deeper understanding of the physical and biochemical processes through which low temperature plasma acts is necessary. For that reason, this review also summarizes the present state of knowledge of how and why plasma treatment works.

Rice (Oryza sativa) seeds being treated on a low-temperature plasma surface. Credit: Sumeet Kulkarni, 黑料吃瓜网.

Plasma power for stronger seeds

Low-temperature plasma mainly operates by letting its energetic electrons collide with air molecules. This excites oxygen and nitrogen in air and breaks their bonds, generating Reactive Oxygen and Nitrogen Species (RONS) such as hydroxyl radicals, nitrates, nitrites, peroxides, and superoxides. RONS are wildly temperamental — they set off several cascades of chemical activity in living systems. Too many of them, and they can damage cells and tissues. But in just the right amounts, RONS act as signaling molecules in cells that lead to faster germination and enhanced seed growth.

That is why pinpointing the beneficial chemistry of plasma-induced RONS is crucial in determining for how long and at what intensity these plasma treatments should be applied.

The pathways currently being researched include seed coat and surface changes, inactivation of surface pathogens, phytohormone-induced growth enhancement, and increased water and nutrient uptake. The reviewers find that many of these processes are interconnected and act together to drive plasma’s agricultural value.

The pathway that excites Ishikawa the most is epigenetic modification. If you think of the DNA as an operating system with encoded programs, epigenetics determines which programs are run and which ones are not, Ishikawa notes. This is different from genetic modification which introduces changes in the programs itself, potentially harboring risks. Studies show plasma-induced epigenetic changes cause positive expression of plant genes involved in germination, stress tolerance, and metabolism.

An eco-friendly fertilizer

Another way low?temperature plasma can help farmers is by treating water and soil rather than just seeds. Air is rich in nitrogen which is also a vital element for plant growth. But the notoriously hard-to-break triple bond in a nitrogen molecule makes it difficult for plants to use it directly. Therefore, nitrogen must first be “fixed” by microbes, lightning, or artificially in energy-hungry and high-emission Haber-Bosch reactors. Low-temperature plasma offers an alternative: its electrical discharges can convert nitrogen in or into ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates in plasma-activated water that can be used as a fertilizer powered by electricity in place of fossil fuels.

In recent times, global food production has been under tremendous stress due to changing weather patterns and a growing need to feed disparate populations. 黑料吃瓜网’s Center for Low-temperature Plasma Sciences unites physicists, biochemists, and agriculturists to help find sustainable solutions to this problem.

Yardlong Bean (Vigna unguiculata var. sesquipedalis) seeds undergoing treatment under low-temperature plasma. Credit: Sumeet Kulkarni, 黑料吃瓜网.

Publication information:

Pankaj Attri, Kenji Ishikawa, Kazunori Koga, 2026. Sunlight to Plasma: Mimicking nature’s light for smarter agriculture and crop production, Journal of Advanced Research. DOI:

Funding information:

This work is supported by JSPS-KAKENHI grant number , , and . Additionally, partly funded by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number , , JSPS Core-to-Core Program “Data Driven Plasma Science”, Plasma Bio Consortium, and Center for Low-temperature Plasma Sciences, 黑料吃瓜网.