Pepper Growing Modified by Plasma Activated Water and Growth Conditions

Abstract

Plasma-activated water (PAW) is a novel and promising technique in the agricultural field that has the potential to improve vegetable growth and yield. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of plasma-activated water seeds treatment and growth conditions on pepper plant growth parameters and fruit quality. A factorial design of three factors (C = cultivar, GC = growth condition, and PAW = plasma activated water treatment seeds) was established, with two variants for each one: Cultivar 1 (C1) and Cultivar 2 (C2); greenhouse (G) and open field (F); PAW seeds treatment (PAW) and seeds without treatment with PAW (C). Four replicates with fifty seeds were taken for each variety. Growth and fruit quality parameters were measured in the three month period during 2021 and 2022, respectively. The significant influence of cultivar, growing condition, and PAW on fruit quality and pepper plant growth parameters were determined. The lowest values of measured parameters were obtained in the open field without PAW treatment. Pepper growth in a greenhouse from PAW-treated seeds had a higher canopy height (17.85%), weight (10.57%), number of leaves (10.5%), nodes (18.94%), and buds (37.83%). Moreover, dry matter content was higher (33.73%) as well as fruit quality: fruit weight (50.19%), diameter (24.3%), length (20.88%), and pericarp weight (49.49%). Results indicate that PAW treatment of peppers seeds can lead to production and yield improvement under different climates and growing conditions.