Effect of low-temperature plasma treatment of low-current high-voltage discharges on the growth of sprouts and germination characteristics of wheat seeds

Wheat is one of the leading food crops in the world, so it is important to develop more efficient and sustainable methods of growing it to meet people's basic food needs. The task of improving the germination of seed material in conditions of changing climatic conditions, the development of new lands is urgent. Wheat is the main crop produced for domestic consumption and for export. In this paper, the effect of low-temperature plasma treatment of low-current high-voltage discharges on the growth of sprouts and germination of wheat seeds is considered. Corona and spark discharge modes were used as variations of the treatment modes. Seed samples were treated with low-temperature plasma in the gravity flow mode at the developed installation. Incubation of samples in a vertical farm was carried out using the method of analyzing the length of seedlings and roots. The results showed that the samples treated with corona discharge demonstrate improved rehydration rates of moisture absorption, the length of seedlings and roots is almost 1.5 times longer than the length of seedlings and roots of the control sample. It has been shown that treatment with low-temperature plasma can significantly improve the contact properties of the surface of seeds with a drop of water, which affects the rehydration rates. With an increase in the discharge current and the transition from corona mode to spark mode, the effects of thermal exposure increase. Germination data during spark discharge preparation showed a decrease in indicators. The effect of low-temperature plasma of low-current spark discharges on the growth and germination of wheat seeds is shown. The processing technique used in the study can be applied in agriculture to improve the activation of seed growth and germination. Further research will be aimed at finding optimal seed treatment modes with low-temperature plasma of low-current high-voltage discharges.