Kizer Jonathan, Robinson Conner, Lucas Ta'Kia, Shannon Steven, Hernández Ricardo, Stapelmann Katharina, Rojas-Pierce Marcela
Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America.
Department of Nuclear Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2025 Sep 8;20(9):e0327091. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0327091. eCollection 2025.
Nitrogen (N) fixation with non-thermal plasmas has been proposed as a sustainable alternative to meet growing N fertilizer demands for agriculture. This technology generates Plasma Activated Water (PAW) with a range of chemical compositions, including different concentrations of nitrate (NO₃⁻) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), among other compounds. Potential use of PAW as an effective crop fertilizer necessitates a robust understanding of the underlying biology of the plant, which is not yet available. The lack of a unified standard in PAW production and the varying chemical make-up that results from different devices and protocols hampers comparative studies and adoption of this technology. The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy of two PAW solutions with differing concentrations of H2O2 produced from a Radio Frequency (RF) glow discharge plasma source. The effect of these solutions on plant growth, ROS accumulation, gene expression and heat stress response were compared to N-equivalent controls in the model plant Arabidopsis to assess their potential as an alternative N fertilizer. While PAW solutions lacking detectable H2O2 enhanced seedling growth, those containing approximately 0.3 µM of H2O2 did not. ROS accumulation in root tissues was similar between PAW and chemically equivalent solutions, suggesting H2O2 is the primary ROS present in the PAW at the time of treatment. Gene expression studies showed induction of genes involved in N uptake and assimilation in PAW-treated seedlings. Pre-treatment of seedlings with PAW solutions containing H2O2 improved root growth under heat stress which indicates that this treatment may induce plant stress response pathways. Finally, mature plants showed similar growth when fertilized with PAW lacking H2O2 or NO3- control regimes for over 5 weeks indicating equivalency in chemical composition, plant nutrient uptake and utilization. Overall, these results demonstrate that PAW is an effective alternative to NO3- fertilizers for plant cultivation but the levels of H2O2 need to be carefully controlled.
利用非热等离子体进行固氮已被提议作为一种可持续的替代方法，以满足农业对氮肥不断增长的需求。这项技术能产生具有一系列化学成分的等离子体活化水（PAW），包括不同浓度的硝酸盐（NO₃⁻）和过氧化氢（H2O2）以及其他化合物。要将PAW作为一种有效的作物肥料进行潜在应用，就需要深入了解植物的基础生物学，但目前这方面的了解还不够。PAW生产缺乏统一标准，以及不同设备和方案导致的化学成分各异，阻碍了该技术的比较研究和应用。本研究的目的是比较由射频（RF）辉光放电等离子体源产生的两种不同H2O2浓度的PAW溶液的功效。在模式植物拟南芥中，将这些溶液对植物生长、活性氧积累、基因表达和热应激反应的影响与氮等效对照进行比较，以评估它们作为替代氮肥的潜力。虽然缺乏可检测到的H2O2的PAW溶液能促进幼苗生长，但含有约0.3 µM H2O2的溶液却不能。PAW和化学等效溶液在根组织中的活性氧积累相似，这表明H2O2是处理时PAW中存在的主要活性氧。基因表达研究表明，PAW处理的幼苗中参与氮吸收和同化的基因被诱导。用含有H2O2的PAW溶液预处理幼苗可改善热应激下的根系生长，这表明这种处理可能诱导植物应激反应途径。最后，成熟植株在使用缺乏H2O2的PAW或NO3-对照方案施肥超过5周后，生长情况相似，这表明在化学成分、植物养分吸收和利用方面是等效的。总体而言，这些结果表明，PAW是植物种植中替代NO3-肥料的有效选择，但H2O2的水平需要仔细控制。
