Non-Thermal Physical Plasma Agricultural Applications: Accelerated Seed Germination, Pathogen Control, and Enhanced Crop Quality

The global agricultural landscape is currently navigating a complex transition necessitated by the convergence of climate change, the degradation of soil health, and the urgent requirement to feed a human population projected to exceed 10 billion by the mid-21st century. Traditional agrochemical interventions, while instrumental in the previous century’s productivity gains, are increasingly associated with systemic environmental risks, including the persistence of pesticide residues in food chains, the proliferation of multidrug-resistant pathogens, and the catastrophic loss of biodiversity. Consequently, the scientific community has pivoted toward the development of non-thermal, physical interventions that leverage the fundamental principles of plasma physics to modulate biological systems. Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP), often characterized as a non-thermal physical discharge, has emerged as a transformative tool in this domain, offering a chemical-free, energy-efficient, and water-less methodology for seed priming, surface sterilization, and the enhancement of plant physiological resilience.