Cold plasma seed priming modulates growth, redox homeostasis and stress response by inducing reactive species in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)

Abstract

Seed germination and vegetative growth are two important plant growing stages that are vulnerable to physical and biological stress. Improvement in crop germination potential and seedling growth rate generally leads to high crop productivity. Cold plasma is a promising technology used to improve seed germination and growth. Structural changes on tomato seed surface exposed with cold air plasma jet for a different time period (1 min, 5 min, 10 min) was examined by SEM. For in-depth study, different physiological parameter such as seed germination and seedling growth, biochemical parameter such as reactive species status, antioxidants and phytohormone, and molecular analysis of various gene expression was also evaluated. Drought stress tolerance potential of cold plasma primed tomato seedling was also examined under 30% PEG stress. Cold plasma seed priming modulates tomato seed coat and improves the germination efficiency. It also induces growth, antioxidants, phytohormone, defense gene expression, and drought stress tolerance potential of tomato seedling. Cold plasma seeds priming augment the reactive species at a molecular level within seedlings, which changes the biochemistry and physiological parameters of plants by inducing different cellular signaling cascades.

Keywords: Cold plasma; Seed germination; Seed priming; Stress tolerance; Tomato plants.