Wettability and Water Uptake Improvement in Plasma-Treated Alfalfa Seeds

Matej Holc, Peter Gselman, Gregor Primc, Alenka Vesel, Miran Mozetič and Nina Recek
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Matej Holc: Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova cesta 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Peter Gselman: Interkorn Ltd., Gančani 94, 9231 Beltinci, Slovenia
Gregor Primc: Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova cesta 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Alenka Vesel: Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova cesta 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Miran Mozetič: Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova cesta 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Nina Recek: Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova cesta 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

Agriculture, 2022, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: The cultivation of alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.), a forage crop grown worldwide, is negatively affected by hard seed presence. We show that treatment of alfalfa seeds with an inductively coupled radio frequency oxygen plasma improves their surface hydrophilicity, as determined by water contact angle (WCA) measurements and water uptake. Furthermore, we see that these effects are mediated by functionalization and etching of the alfalfa seed surface. Surface chemistry is analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), while morphology is viewed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Plasma produces effective alfalfa seed hydrophilization with a variety of treatment parameters. With its potential for fine-tuning, plasma modification of seed wettability shows promise for introduction into agricultural practice.

Keywords: alfalfa; seed; wettability; water uptake; surface modification (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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