Mechanism of cold atmospheric plasma-mediated seed decontamination

Determine the mechanisms by which cold atmospheric plasma decontaminates Arabidopsis thaliana seeds, including the roles of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species and the resulting oxidative damage to microorganisms.

Background

The paper demonstrates that cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) substantially reduces fungal contamination on Arabidopsis thaliana seeds, with a 15-minute treatment eliminating detectable contamination under the tested conditions. However, the authors state that the mechanism underlying this antimicrobial effect is not fully understood. They suggest that reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species generated by plasma may cause oxidative damage to microorganisms, but this proposed explanation remains unresolved.

References

Although not fully understood, it has been proposed that this effect might mainly result from reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) produced by the plasma, which can in turn lead to various oxidative damage towards microorganisms [22].

— Cold atmospheric plasma decontaminates Arabidopsis thaliana seeds and remodels seedling fungal microbiota  (2609.37222 - Taras et al., 29 Sep 2026) in Section 3, Discussion