Plasma for seed germination

About

THE INNOVATION: Using ambient pressure and temperature plasma to improve germination yields for plant and foods seeds. TECHNOLOGY: 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. MARKET: 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. ANTICIPATED PRODUCTS: An easily implemented batch processor on unpackaged seeds. PROJECT STATUS: A laboratory proof of concept has been demonstrated on a variety of seeds including tomato, pepper and alfalfa. PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS: Prof. Edward Bormashenko is an Associate Professor at Ariel University. Prof. Bormashenko has over 25 years of experience in research in Polymer Science and Solid-State Physics. He founded and heads the Laboratory of Polymer and Composite Materials in Ariel University.