Potentiality of non-thermal plasma as an innovative technique for ameliorating wheat productivity under saline soil conditions

Abstract

THE CURRENT research tried to exploit the non-thermal plasma (NTP) technology as a neoteric approach for boosting the productivity and quality of salt-stressed wheat. The growth of germinated wheat grains was assessed under laboratory conditions following seed pretreatment with six NTP exposure times (0.0, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0 and 5.0 minutes, min). As well, yield traits and grain nutrient uptakes were evaluated after seed pretreatment with three plasma exposure times (0.0, 1.0, and 2.0 min) in soil having three levels of electrical conductivity (EC): low (3.0 dS m⁻¹ EC), medium (5.5 dS m⁻¹ EC), and high (7.0 dS m⁻¹ EC). Findings exhibited that the heaviest seedling dry biomass was recorded with NTP exposure times for 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 and 5.0 min, surpassing the control treatment (0.0 min). NTP exposure time for 1.0 min surpassed the corresponding control treatment in spikes number m^-2, spikes weigh m^-2 and grain yield by 1.28 and 1.36, 1.27 and 1.37, and 1.34 and 1.33 folds, under medium and high salinity, respectively. NTP had no noticeable effect on wheat yield attributes under low salinity level. Further, the amelioration in nutrient uptakes was more pronounced with application of 1.0 min of NTP for N and K uptakes under medium salinity and for P and K uptakes under high salinity. Eventually, it could be concluded that application of NTP as a one-minute seed priming in wheat possessed obvious improvements in grain yield and quality under salt stress, indicating the useful action of plasma in inducing salt tolerance.