Plasma Agriculture

Garlic is popular, versatile, and tasty. The Allium crop is beloved worldwide as a food, spice and herbal remedy, but is also widely researched and used in disciplines ranging from medicine to farming. However, what if the growth and yield of garlic could be influenced simply by physically treating its cloves? This is the principle behind plasma agriculture, an emerging field of science which introduces physical concepts to agricultural practice. Here, seeds or other plant materials are briefly exposed to gas plasma, which alters the surface properties, stimulates the growth and strengthens the plant.

This book takes an in-depth look at the physics of low-pressure oxygen plasma and shows how the plasma reactive species affect the treated surface. It uses garlic as a model organism to explain the main principles underlying plasma agriculture. The most immediate effects of plasma on the garlic clove are physico-chemical, followed by biological responses that range from sprout and root growth stimulation to yield increase.

As it connects results of plasma characterization to garlic plant responses, this book will appeal to plasma scientists, as well as those interested in experimental botany and agriculture. It provides insights into the current understanding of plasma agriculture and encourages further steps in exploring the effects and benefits of this unique approach.