Recent Advances in Non-Thermal Plasma for Seed Germination, Plant Growth, and Secondary Metabolite Synthesis: A Promising Frontier for Sustainable Agriculture

Sustainable agriculture requires the exploration and development of eco-friendly technologies to increase crop production. From the last few decades, nonthermal atmospheric pressure plasma (NTAPP) based technology appears as an encouraging frontier in this quest. NTAPP with low temperature and energetic gas-phase chemistry offers potential applications to promote seed germination rate and plant growth. It initiates a cascade of biological responses at molecular levels inside the seed as well as in plants, greater nutrient uptake, elevated antioxidant activity, and pathogen control to ensure improved germination, seedling growth, plant growth, and increased harvesting. NTAPP technology has become more popular and convenient in agriculture due to its potential to produce plasma-activated water (PAW), which harnesses useful reactive species with PAW irrigation to promote plant growth. Recent advancements in NTAPP technology and its applications to promote seed germination, seedling growth, plant growth, and metabolite synthesis were summarized in this review. We delve deeper to examine the possible mechanisms that underlie the involvement of reactive species from NTAPP, surface interactions, and gene expression regulation. We also have discussed the applications of NTAPP in seed priming, pre-planting treatments, and disease control for food preservation. For sustainable agriculture, NTAPP stands out as an eco-friendly technology with the potential to revolutionize crop production of the modern age. Many researchers proved that NTAPP reduces the need for agrochemicals and presents a viable path toward sustainable agriculture. This review will provide recent progress by outlining major challenges and shaping future directions for harnessing the potential of NTAPP in agriculture.