Improving Seeds Germination Using Cold Plasma
- Technology Application
- The global seed market is approaching $100B. In its efforts to constantly improve the quality of supplied seeds to consumers, the suppliers have been focusing on ways to make seeds more robust, require less water, decrease the germination time and increase the overall yield of germination. It should be stressed that even small improvements (few percentage points) are very economically significant.
- Detailed Technology Description
- None
- *Abstract
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A novel technology, developed in the lab of Prof. Edward Bormashenko of Ariel University, allows improvement of germination of seeds with low yields. The process is based on cold (near-room-temperature) radiofrequency (RF) plasma treatment. The irradiation of seeds by the ionized gas (e.g., air, oxygen, etc.) is rapid (seconds to minutes), ecologically friendly and scalable. It affects only the thin surface layer of a few angstroms depth, making no change to the chemical structure of the seeds. Our project has focused jointly on improving the germination yield (percentage of viable seeds) and decreasing the time necessary to germinate on a variety of commercial plant and vegetable seeds, including those with particularly low yields
- *Principal Investigator
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Name: Edward Bormashenko
Department: Chemical Engineering
- Country/Region
- USA
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