Seed priming is a pre-treatment of seeds leading to the improvement of their germination, the plant growth, and the product yield. In this study we investigated the possibility of the use of non-thermal plasma operating in atmospheric pressure air for seed priming with the objective to improve the yield of pea seeds. Two priming ways were used: an indirect way by using plasma activated water (PAW) generated by the transient spark discharge with water electrospray or the glow discharge batch treatment and a direct exposure of seeds to the pulsed corona discharge. After treatment, the seeds were planted in the outdoor field for about 14 weeks until harvest. The direct plasma treatment resulted in two key results: the strong effectiveness of the pulsed corona plasma improving the yield, and the long-term effect of the plasma seed treatment. The results of the indirect treatment showed that the pea plants from the seeds primed using PAW gained some improved growth parameters, especially the number of seeds per pod and the total number of seeds per plant. The scanning electron microscopy analysis showed that PAW and direct treatment induced some morphology changes at the surface of the pea seeds. This study documents a long-term effect of non-thermal plasma seed priming and contributes to the plasma agriculture applications by suggesting the implementation of non-thermal plasma direct or indirect treatments into the field.

种子引发是对种子进行预处理，以改善它们的发芽、植物生长和产品产量。在这项研究中，我们研究了在大气压空气中使用非热等离子体进行种子引发的可能性，目的是提高豌豆种子的产量。使用了两种引发方式：一种间接方式是使用由水电喷雾的瞬态火花放电或辉光放电批处理产生的等离子体活化水 (PAW)，以及将种子直接暴露于脉冲电晕放电。处理后，将种子在室外田间种植约 14 周，直至收获。直接等离子体处理产生了两个关键结果：脉冲电晕等离子体提高产量的强大效果，以及等离子体种子处理的长期效果。间接处理的结果表明，使用 PAW 引发的种子豌豆植株获得了一些改进的生长参数，特别是每个豆荚的种子数和每株植物的种子总数。扫描电镜分析表明，PAW和直接处理在豌豆种子表面引起了一些形态变化。本研究记录了非热等离子体种子引发的长期影响，并通过建议在田间实施非热等离子体直接或间接处理来促进等离子体农业应用。扫描电镜分析表明，PAW和直接处理在豌豆种子表面引起了一些形态变化。本研究记录了非热等离子体种子引发的长期影响，并通过建议在田间实施非热等离子体直接或间接处理来促进等离子体农业应用。扫描电镜分析表明，PAW和直接处理在豌豆种子表面引起了一些形态变化。本研究记录了非热等离子体种子引发的长期影响，并通过建议在田间实施非热等离子体直接或间接处理来促进等离子体农业应用。