Extending shelf life: cold plasma as a tool to preserve long-term germination potential of pea seeds

The positive effect of plasma treatment on the germination, viability or decontamination of seeds is already known and has been widely explored. Typically, all measurements are carried out on the seeds immediately after plasma treatment. However, in agricultural practice, seeds are stored for a long time before sowing. Therefore, we analysed the durability of the plasma effect during the 6-month storage period, considering both the storage time and the storage temperature (4 °C or room temperature). As a model object, we used seeds of Pisum sativum (Saxon var.) treated by Diffuse Coplanar Surface Barrier Discharge (DCSBD) at atmospheric pressure in the ambient air. The plasma-induced increase in wettability and the formation of new polar functional groups on the seed coat remained stable during the 6-month storage period. In addition, the improved germination parameters promoted by plasma treatment were maintained during storage. Our results have shown that plasma-treated seeds can be stored for a longterm period before sowing without losing the benefits achieved by the plasma treatment.